RIP Éric Chapel, a pioneer of cannabis activism in France

The close relationship between Éric Chapel and weed began in the 1980s when, in his late teens, he started smoking. A gardening enthusiast who wanted to produce his own crop, and at a time when there were no - or almost no - sources of information on cannabis cultivation, he discovered the books of Jean Pierre Galland of the CIRC, a collective he quickly joined before creating his own association in 1994, PAKA, dedicated to promoting hemp and its derivatives.

Cannabis became a real passion for Éric Chapel - also known as Ruderalix on some internet forums - who opened his own shop dedicated to hemp in 1998: Chanvre et Compagnie in Montreuil, one of the first shops of its kind in France offering its customers grow equipment and specialist literature, as well as clothing and other hemp products.

In 2003, his activity culminated in him organising a hemp fair at the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie in Paris. Shortly afterwards, a very severe tax audit led Éric to stop his activity and leave Paris to lead a quieter and more discreet life away from the French capital.

2014: Reporting the theft of his cannabis crop

Very active on French-speaking cannabis forums (with great advice for everyone) and always so interested in cannabis, Ruderalix continued to cultivate his own home-grown weed crops, which helped him fight other forms of addiction "without harming anyone", unlike the black market and its potential dangers. Unfortunately, in 2014 some neighbours stole Éric's plants and his reaction was very unexpected because he went and reported the theft of his cannabis to the police. Unfortunately, this heroic gesture led him to be charged with the cultivation and possession of cannabis.

Éric Chapel never stopped fighting, in one way or another, for the rights of hemp and cannabis users, whether it was with the CIRC, at the Global Marijuana March, with his Grainaoizo collection of seeds or by reopening Chanvre et Compagnie in 2018: although he was very discreet, Ruderalix was a famous face among many activists and professionals in the cannabis world. He passed away on the night of 08/06/2022, and today, our thoughts are with him and with his many friends.

Ruderalix, we salute you!