Most of us, when visiting a foreign country, worry about accidentally offending a waiter or forgetting how to say “where is the pharmacy?” American rapper Wiz Khalifa, however, prefers to live a bit more dangerously. Last year, while performing at the Beach, Please! festival in the Romanian seaside resort of Costinești, the “Black and Yellow” star decided to light up a “big ass joint” right on stage.
It’s a move that falls firmly into the category of “Bold Career Choices.” You have to admire the optimism required to think, “Yes, I’m in a country with some of the strictest drug laws in the EU, but surely they’ll make an exception for a ten time Grammy nominee?” Spoiler alert: they did not.
From a Fine to a Felony
Originally, a Romanian court handed Khalifa (real name Cameron Jibril Thomaz) a relatively modest fine of 3,600 lei, about the price of a decent weekend away. But the Constanța Court of Appeal recently decided that a slap on the wrist wasn’t enough for what they called an “ostentatious act.”
The judges, clearly not members of the Wiz Khalifa fan club, overturned the fine and sentenced him to nine months in prison. Their reasoning? By smoking in front of a predominantly young audience, Khalifa was sending a “message of normalisation” for illegal conduct. Essentially, the court decided that if you’re going to be an influencer, you should probably influence people to do something other than get arrested.
The Great Extradition Question
Despite the stern words from the Romanian judiciary, the chances of seeing Wiz Khalifa in a cell in Constanța are about as high as… well, Wiz Khalifa himself.
Experts suggest that the US is highly unlikely to extradite a global superstar over 18 grams of weed especially when cannabis is legal for recreational use in a significant chunk of the States. While Romania will likely submit a formal judicial request, Khalifa was sentenced in absentia. While the judges were deliberating his fate, he was seen performing in California and streaming on Twitch from the comfort of his home. It’s the ultimate “catch me if you can,” played out via social media.
A Mind Boggling Disconnect
There is something genuinely baffling about the modern celebrity travel permit. Why anyone would travel to a sovereign nation and openly flout their laws is a question that truly boggles the mind. It’s one thing to be “Young, Wild & Free” in a state where it’s legal; it’s quite another to do it in a jurisdiction where “possession of risk drugs” is a fast track to a criminal record.
It’s a classic case of Main Character Syndrome. Just because your personal brand is built on a marijuana empire doesn’t mean the local gendarmerie are going to ask for a signed baggie instead of your passport.
Final Thoughts
Wiz tweeted after the incident that he’d be back soon, but “without a big ass joint next time.” Given the new nine month residency waiting for him, “soon” might be an overstatement. For now, he remains a free man in the US, while in Romania, he’s a cautionary tale about the importance of reading the “Customs and Culture” section of your travel guide.
Ultimately, it’s a reminder that while your music might be global, the law remains very, very local.
Related topics: Entertainment
