Gary Youds, a 56-year-old campaigner in Liverpool, runs the Chillin' Rooms — an alcohol-free cannabis social club and harm-reduction centre that serves medical users and a diverse local community. Despite more than 30 arrests, multiple convictions and several prison terms, he repeatedly reopens the venue and argues the model could be scaled across the U.K. Advocates say social clubs reduce harm and divert trade from illegal markets; police and courts continue to treat the operation as criminal. The future of this grassroots approach depends on legal reform, local licensing and national drug policy debates.
Liverpool’s 'Cannabis Martyr' Reopens Again: Inside the Chillin' Rooms Defying UK Drug Laws
Mattha Busby
On the night of the World Cup final, televisions lit up pubs across Liverpool. Yet six bus stops from Anfield, Gary Youds kept the big screen out of his cannabis social club and harm-reduction centre — the Chillin' Rooms — preferring face-to-face conversation, live music and an alcohol-free atmosphere.
Mattha Busby
A Community Space Built Against The Odds
Inside the Chillin' Rooms on Holt Road, about 30 members sit on worn church pews beneath a portrait of John Lennon and a sign that reads ALCOHOL KILLS, CANNABIS CHILLS. Members smoke spliffs while a powerful ventilation system clears the air. The venue doubles as a music space, community hub and informal clinic where people with epilepsy, Parkinson's and chronic pain mix with students, builders, musicians and migrants.
Mattha Busby
Youds' Story
Gary Youds, 56, is the club's founder and a lifelong campaigner for cannabis reform. He uses cannabis to manage spinal arthritis and says he has been arrested more than 30 times, convicted 10 times, served four prison sentences and lost his house. Local media have dubbed him “The Cannabis Martyr.” Despite repeated raids and prosecutions, he repeatedly reopens the Chillin' Rooms and argues the model could be scaled nationwide as an alcohol-free alternative to pubs and a way of diverting trade from the illegal market.
Mattha Busby
“I want people connecting and talking face to face. No gimmicks.” — Gary Youds
Legal Battles And Repeated Raids
Youds remortgaged his home and spent roughly £60,000 converting a derelict taxi office into the Chillin' Rooms in 2005. He applied for a licence but was refused; nonetheless he opened the venue on 4:20 p.m. in March 2005 and quickly attracted hundreds of members. Since then police have repeatedly raided the premises and his home. Notable interventions include a major 2006 raid that led to a 12-month sentence, a 2015 operation followed by a 2017 nine-month sentence, and further arrests related to cannabis oil deliveries and large plants seized at his home. Although prescribed medical cannabis became legal in the U.K. in November 2018, Youds was sentenced to three years in 2023 and released after about a year; he reopened the Chillin' Rooms on 20 April 2024 and removed referral rules during the Merseyside unrest on 3 August 2024.
Mattha Busby
Harm Reduction, Medicine And Social Impact
The club serves medical users who say the space helps them manage symptoms and avoids the isolation of consuming cannabis alone. Members report reduced reliance on alcohol for some visitors and describe conflict resolution and community-building that, they say, would be rare in a regular bar. Supporters include medical patients, local musicians and some political figures: the Green Party has expressed support for the social-club model, and academics such as Kojo Koram note parallels with regulated clubs in parts of Europe.
Arguments And Questions
For supporters, the Chillin' Rooms is a grassroots harm-reduction project that channels demand away from the illegal market and offers social and medical benefits. Critics — including police and some courts — treat Youds' activities as criminal supply and have pursued closures, prosecutions and operational disruption. The debate raises broader questions about how the U.K. should regulate cannabis, provide lawful medical access and reconcile community-led approaches with public safety and licensing rules.
Where Things Stand
Youds continues to campaign publicly, arguing that cannabis convictions have damaged his life — costing him his home and financial stability — while he cares for his elderly mother and keeps the Chillin' Rooms open. He hopes political changes will follow, but legal risk remains: he faces further court dates related to seized cash and other charges. Whether his model can be legitimised nationally depends on lawmakers, public opinion and how authorities choose to enforce existing laws.
Timeline — Key Dates: 2005 (opening), 2006 (12-month sentence), 2015 (raid), 2017 (9-month sentence), 2018 (medical cannabis legalised in U.K.), 2020 (arrest over oil), 2023 (three-year sentence, released after ≈1 year), 20 Apr 2024 (reopened), 3 Aug 2024 (opened to public during unrest).
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