Bernard Rappaz

Bernard Rappaz (born 18 February 1953) is a former Swiss farmer from Valais. He was known for his production of cannabis and was nicknamed Hanfbauer (hemp farmer).

Life In the 1990s, Rappaz began to fight for the liberalization of the hemp trade and consumption. In November 2008 he was found guilty in Martigny Court for hemp grown between 1996 and 2001, violating the controlled substances law and committing money laundering. The police had seized about 50 tons of hemp with him. During the trial, he confessed to having sold five tons and made a total of about five million francs (= approx. 3.5 million euro). He also made claims about "healing powers of marijuana". Rappaz was sentenced to six years in jail. The state's attorney had asked for ten years.

On March 20, 2010, he was imprisoned in Sion. He joined in a hunger strike to protest against what he considered unlawful criminal proceedings against him. He was transferred to the prison wing of Inselspital (University Hospital of Bern). The Conseil d'État Esther Waeber-Kalbermatten ordered a force feeding for the first grant in July 2010. On July 21, the Valais authorities gave him house arrest at his residence in Saxon. For the time being, he ended his hunger strike.

On August 26, 2010, in the Federal Court a public consultation of the judgment dismissed the appeal of Rappaz when his request for a reduced sentence was rejected.