A menu showing the cannabis seemingly for sale at The Chillin' Rooms illegal cannabis cafe in Holt Road, Kensington, run by Gary Youds, 47, of Cavan Road, Norris Green. The Chillin Rooms in Kensington has bounced in and out of existence since 2005, repeatedly shut down by the authorities only to spring back up when their backs were turned. In emails sent from his cell to close friends like Jia, Gary remained steadfast about the path he was on.
As he wrote, "all revolutionaries go to jail". The Chillin' Rooms remained closed for nearly a decade afterwards, but Youds relaunched his holy war permanently in 2015, inspired by cannabis legalisation across the U.S. that he believes has.
Gary Youds used to run the Chillin' Rooms on Holt Road, in Kensington, which was raided by police in March 2019. The dad-of-two previously told the ECHO his illegal operation was the "light at the end of the tunnel" for customers when it was open. Renamed as the Chillin' Rooms, Youds was jailed for 12-months in 2006 for drugs offences after repeatedly flouting laws banning Amsterdam-style cafes.
Despite numerous raids, the cafe reopened again. Youds claims the area of Kensington The Chillin' Rooms was located in was "rife with crime" when he opened his cafe. He claims street level drug dealing was prevalent.
The former owner of an Amsterdam-style cannabis cafe said he wants to reopen in Liverpool despite being spared jail earlier this year. Gary Youds used to run the Chillin' Rooms on Holt Road, in. The pool table inside The Chillin' Rooms illegal cannabis cafe in Holt Road, Kensington, run by Gary Youds, 47, of Cavan Road, Norris Green.
