Chef Ra (October 10, 1950 – December 26, 2006), born Jim Wilson Jr., was a long-time cannabis rights advocate and

cannabis foods A cannabis edible, also known as a cannabis-infused food or simply an edible, is a food product (either homemade or produced commercially) that contains decarboxylated cannabinoids (cannabinoid acids converted to their orally bioactive form) ...

writer in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. After gaining notoriety as a ganja gourmet and appearing on the November 1987 cover of ''

High Times ''High Times'' is an American monthly magazine (and cannabis brand) that advocates the legalization of cannabis as well as other counterculture ideas. The magazine was founded in 1974 by Tom Forcade.Danko, Danny"Norml Founder Retires – Exha ...

'', he began writing "Chef Ra's Psychedelic Kitchen" in 1988 at the request of magazine editor Steven Hager. Ra was a fixture of

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

's Hash Bash, speaking out about the benefits of

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternativel ...

for 19 consecutive years before his death.

Biography

Early life

Although he was born Charleston, West Virginia, by high school, Wilson had moved to the

Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area The Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, also known as Champaign–Urbana and Urbana–Champaign as well as Chambana (colloquially), is a metropolitan area in east-central Illinois. As defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the ...

. He was the first Black student elected Senior Class President at Urbana High. Wilson was later banned from the football team, even though he had been the starting end and placekicker, because of his association with fellow student Steven Hager, who later hired Wilson to write for ''High Times''.

Writings

''Chef Ra's Psychedelic Kitchen'' column appeared in ''

'' off and on for 15 years. The articles would weave together Ra's insights on life together with a new ganja recipe. Ra would also report on travels to

cannabis culture Cannabis culture describes a social atmosphere or series of associated social behaviors that depends heavily upon cannabis consumption, particularly as an entheogen, recreational drug and medicine. Historically cannabis has been used an entheo ...

events.

Filmography

Chef Ra starred in a pair of videos produced by High Times, including ''Chef Ra Escapes Babylon'' (1989) and ''Ganja Gourmet'' (2003). The former features Ra's visit to

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...

, and had a rare public screening at the 1998 Freaky Film Festival in Champaign-Urbana. Ra was featured in the short film '' Bumbaclots in

Negril Negril is a small (pop. 6,900) but widely dispersed beach resort and town located in Westmoreland and Hanover parishes at the far western tip of Jamaica, southwest from Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay. Westmoreland is the we ...

'' (1999) alongside fellow High Times staffers.

Death

He died of complications from

cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, ...

on December 26, 2006, at the age of 56.

References

External links

* *, featuring Chef Ra * * , including many photos from the

WEFT Warp and weft are the two basic components used in weaving to turn thread or yarn into fabric. The lengthwise or longitudinal warp yarns are held stationary in tension on a frame or loom while the transverse weft (sometimes woof) is draw ...

archives.
Chef Ra
MySpace page {{DEFAULTSORT:Ra 1950 births 2006 deaths American cannabis activists American food writers American Rastafarians Chefs from West Virginia Writers from Charleston, West Virginia Activists from West Virginia