Chef Ra (October 10, 1950 – December 26, 2006), born Jim Wilson Jr.,
was a long-time
cannabis rights
Cannabis rights or marijuana rights (sometimes more specifically cannabis consumer rights or stoner rights) are individual civil rights that vary by jurisdiction. The rights of people who consume cannabis include the right to be free from emplo ...
advocate
An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...
and
cannabis foods
A cannabis edible, also known as a cannabis-infused food or simply an edible, is a food item (either homemade or produced commercially) that contains decarboxylated cannabinoids (cannabinoid acids converted to their orally bioactive form) fro ...
writer in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. After gaining notoriety as a ganja gourmet and appearing on the November 1987 cover of ''
High Times
''High Times'' was 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. The magazine had its own book publishing d ...
'', he began writing "Chef Ra's Psychedelic Kitchen" in 1988 at the request of magazine editor
Steven Hager
Steven Hager (born May 25, 1951, Illinois) is an American writer, journalist, filmmaker, and counterculture and cannabis rights activist. He is known for his long association with ''High Times'' magazine.
Biography
Early life and education
Hag ...
. Ra was a fixture of
Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...
's
Hash Bash
Hash Bash is an annual cannabis event held on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan, featuring a series of speeches and live performances focus on the goal of legalizing marijuana at the federal, state, and local levels in the ...
, speaking out about the benefits of
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...
for 19 consecutive years before his death at the age of 56.
Biography
Early life
Though born in
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in West Virginia, most populous city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Kanawha County, West Virginia, Kanawha County and ...
, 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 me ...
. He was the first Black student elected Senior Class President at
Urbana High. Wilson was later banned from the football team, 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 ''
High Times
''High Times'' was 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. The magazine had its own book publishing d ...
'' 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 depend heavily upon cannabis consumption, particularly as an entheogen, recreational drug and medicine.
Historically, cannabis has been used as an ...
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 in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
, and had a rare public screening at the 1998
Freaky Film Festival
Freaky may refer to:
* ''Freaky'' (TV series), a New Zealand children's program
* ''Freaky'' (film), a 2020 horror-comedy film from Blumhouse Productions
* "Freaky" (Koda Kumi song), 2006
* " Freaky!", a 2020 song by Italian singer Senhit, San ...
in
Champaign-Urbana.
[
] Ra was featured in the short film ''