Cultivating cannabis plants by enhanced indoor means for a commercial purpose in the presence of children is an offence under section 23A(3) of the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act, which carries a maximum penalty of:
- 18 years in prison for 199 plants or less, or
- 24 years in prison for 200 plants or more.
To establish the offence, the prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that:
- You cultivated a plant, or you knowingly took part in the cultivation of a plant
- The plant was a cannabis plant
- The cultivation occurred by enhanced indoor means
- The cultivation was for a commercial purpose, and
- You exposed a child to the cultivation process, or to substances being stored for use in the cultivation process.
‘Cultivating’ includes sowing or scattering seeds, planting, growing, tending, nurturing or harvesting.
You ‘knowingly took part in’ cultivation if you:
- Took or participated in any step of the cultivation process, or caused any such step to be taken
- Provided or arranged finance for any step in the cultivation process, or
- Provided the premises for any step in the cultivation process, or suffered or permitted any such step to be taken in a premises for which you were the owner, lessee, occupier or manager.
Cultivation is ‘by enhanced indoor means’ if it occurs:
- Inside a building or structure, and
- Involves one or more of the following:
(a) The nurture of the plant in nutrient-enriched water
(b) The application of an artificial light or heat source
(c) Suspending the plant’s roots and spraying them with nutrient solution.
Cultivation is for a ‘commercial purpose’ if it occurred:
- With the intention of selling it or any of its products, or
- With the belief that another person intended to sell it or any of its products.
A ‘child’ is a person under the age of 16 years.
A defence to the charge is that the exposure did not endanger the health or safety of the child.
Other defences to the charge include duress and necessity.