Charges against a man relating to possession of 5,000 ecstasy tablets were struck out yesterday, a move understood to be a result of a recent loophole which had temporarily decriminalised certain drugs.

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

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