Wiz Khalifa has been handed a suspended nine-month prison sentence by a Romanian appeals court stemming from a cannabis possession case tied to his July 2024 performance at the Beach Please! festival.
According to a final ruling issued Dec. 18, 2025, by the Constanța Court of Appeal, the Pittsburgh-born rapper (born Cameron Jibril Thomaz) was convicted of possessing “high-risk drugs for personal consumption” under Romania’s Law No. 143/2000. The sentence does not require immediate jail time and will only be enforced if Khalifa returns to Romania and reoffends within the next eight years.
The case dates back to Khalifa’s headlining set at the Beach Please! festival in Costinești, a Black Sea resort town, where he was seen lighting and smoking a cannabis joint onstage while performing. Video of the moment quickly circulated on social media. Romanian police detained Khalifa backstage following the performance and reportedly found more than 18 grams of cannabis in his possession. He was released the following day without being held in pretrial detention.
Khalifa later addressed the incident on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “Last night’s show was amazing. I didn’t mean any disrespect to the country of Romania by lighting up onstage. They were very respectful and let me go. I’ll be back soon. But without a big ass joint next time.”
In April 2025, a lower court in Constanța initially imposed only a criminal fine of approximately 3,000–3,600 Romanian lei (roughly $700–$830). Prosecutors from Romania’s DIICOT unit appealed the ruling, arguing that the punishment was too lenient. The appeals court sided with prosecutors, citing the public and “ostentatious” nature of the act and Khalifa’s influence on a young festival audience as factors that increased the severity of the offense.
Under Romanian law, cannabis possession for personal use remains a criminal offense, punishable by fines or prison time. The country maintains some of the strictest drug laws in Europe, in contrast to the increasingly legalized cannabis landscape in parts of the United States, where Khalifa has long been a vocal advocate and operates his own marijuana brand.
As of now, Khalifa remains in the U.S. and continues to tour and release music. Legal experts have noted that extradition is unlikely for a nonviolent drug offense, making it improbable that the rapper will serve time unless he returns to Romania.
The reaction online has been swift, with fans expressing shock at the severity of the sentence and urging Khalifa to avoid traveling back to the country. While the ruling is final, the suspended sentence is expected to have little immediate impact on Khalifa’s career.
