Wiz Khalifa was charged with drug offenses in Romania after smoking on stage

The Romanian authorities have closed a criminal investigation into Wiz Khalifa after charging the rapper with illegal drug possession in July. The investigation led to charges against the 37-year-old, who committed suicide while performing on stage at the Beach, Please! lit a joint. Music Festival in Costinesti. He was arrested after the performance and released shortly afterwards.

The Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism issued a press release detailing the charges submitted to the court for hearing. The press release states that Khalifa was in possession of 18.53 grams of cannabis in addition to “a cigarette that contained cannabis.”

The day after his arrest on July 13, Khalifa commented on the incident with a post on X (formerly Twitter). “The show last night was great. “I didn’t mean it as disrespect to the country of Romania when I lit up on stage,” he posted. “They were very respectful and let me go. I'll be back soon. But next time without a big ass.”

Romania has strict laws regarding the consumption of cannabis, which remains illegal for both recreational and medical use. Just over a decade ago, it was classified as a high-risk drug. Romanian doctors are not allowed to prescribe cannabis to their patients, but those who receive their prescription from another EU country are allowed to enter the country with appropriate documentation.

Khalifa, on the other hand, typically has no restrictions on his cannabis use. The rapper has spent more than a decade building his brand around the amount of weed he smokes. He currently runs Khalifa Kush, his own cannabis brand based on a weed strain developed specifically for him in the early 2010s.

According to Romanian law, illegal possession of drugs for personal use is punishable by a prison sentence of between three months and two years, or a fine for drugs considered risky. According to the European Union Drug Agency, drugs considered high-risk, such as weed, carry a prison sentence of six months to three years. The law does not differentiate punishments based on quantity.

“Based on the drug user's assessment by the Center for Drug Prevention, the prosecutor decides to enroll a consenting user in an integrated drug user assistance program,” the agency says of possible alternatives to punishment. “If the user follows the protocol, the court may decide not to impose the sentence (or postpone the sentence).”