A High Court ruling yesterday affects a narrow range of substances declared to be controlled drugs, writes Conor O’Mahony

Leo Varadkar, the health minister, has admitted it is currently legal to take ecstasy, crystal meth, magic mushrooms, and ketamine anywhere in Ireland — including the Dáil — but has insisted action is being taken to immediately address the issue.

Health and policing agencies are grappling with “an unprecedented increase” in the number of new synthetic drugs across Europe.

A law used to ban a psychoactive substance sold lawfully in headshops until 2011 has been found unconstitutional.

A drug dealer has raised with a circuit court judge the issue of yesterday’s Court of Appeal ruling that the illegality of certain drugs is now unconstitutional.

Dozens of pending prosecutions for possession of certain drugs are up in the air after a landmark court judgment ruled a key drug law was unconstitutional.