American rapper Wiz Khalifa has been sentenced to nine months in prison by a Romanian court for smoking cannabis during a live performance.

The Constanța Court of Appeal ruled that Khalifa, whose real name is Thomaz Cameron Jibril, must serve the sentence in custody after overturning an earlier fine of 3,600 Romanian lei (£619; $829) for drug possession.

The court described the act as “ostentatious” and said the rapper sent a message normalising illegal conduct, potentially encouraging drug use among young people. The incident occurred at the Beach, Please! festival in Costinesti last year, where Khalifa smoked a joint on stage.

Police had briefly detained Jibril after the concert on July 13, 2024, and prosecutors charged him with possession of “risk drugs” for personal use. Investigators said he possessed more than 18 grams of cannabis and consumed some in front of the audience.

Khalifa, who was sentenced in absentia, was performing in California earlier this week and shared clips from home on social media. He apologised for offending Romania and said he would avoid using cannabis on stage in future.

Romanian criminologist Vlad Zaha told UNB that extradition from the US is unlikely, calling the sentence “unusually harsh” given Khalifa’s wealth and the legal status of cannabis in the United States.

The rapper, known for hits like Black and Yellow and See You Again, also runs a marijuana brand launched in 2016. While cannabis is legal in some US states, it remains illegal under federal law.

With inputs from BBC