In a landmark judicial ruling that highlights Romania’s stringent drug enforcement policies, American hip-hop artist Wiz Khalifa (legal name Cameron Jibril Thomaz) has been sentenced to nine months imprisonment by the Constanta Court of Appeal. The conviction stems from an incident during the Beach, Please! Festival in Costinesti in July 2024, where the performer was allegedly witnessed consuming cannabis during his live performance.
Romanian law enforcement authorities detained the 38-year-old Pittsburgh native after he purportedly smoked a hand-rolled cannabis cigarette while performing his hit single ‘Young, Wild & Free.’ Subsequent investigation revealed the artist possessed approximately 18 grams of cannabis, constituting criminal possession under Romanian narcotics legislation.
The appellate court’s decision overturns a prior ruling from April that had imposed only a financial penalty of 3,600 lei (approximately $830). Prosecutors successfully challenged the initial sentence as insufficient, arguing for stricter punishment in accordance with national drug laws.
Romania maintains some of Europe’s most rigorous anti-drug statutes, where personal-use cannabis possession carries potential incarceration periods ranging from three months to two years alongside monetary penalties. The judicial outcome represents the final ruling in this case with no further appeals possible.
International legal complexities now emerge regarding potential extradition proceedings, as Khalifa remains a U.S. citizen without Romanian residency. The rapper gained mainstream recognition through his breakthrough mixtape ‘Kush + Orange Juice’ and has consistently incorporated cannabis culture into his artistic persona.