The corporate defendant, landlord of a commercial property, was charged under the Cannabis Control Act, 2017 for knowingly permitting its premises to be used for the unlawful sale of cannabis.
The tenant had been operating an unlicensed dispensary since 2019.
The defendant argued it took reasonable measures to prevent the activity by changing the locks and serving a statement of claim on the tenant.
The court found the actus reus was proven and rejected the statutory defence, concluding that repeatedly changing locks when previously ineffective, and delaying the advancement of civil litigation, did not constitute objectively or subjectively reasonable steps.
The corporate defendant was convicted.
