Ireland have been on the brink of a monumental disaster which has potentially seen much of their population high as a kite this week, after they accidentally legalised a number of class A and B drugs for a day. Er, oops?

Yep, ketamine, ecstacy and crystal meth were all given the legal nod for twenty-four hours only, while the government got their arses in gear to close the loophole sharpish.

So how on earth did such a catastrophic(/ally good - depending on your stance on recreational drugs) event occur? Let us explain.

It was found in a case at Ireland's Court of Appeal on Tuesday of this week that the country's Misuse of Drugs Act (1977) was actually unconstitutional. This was because of their failure to authorise the inclusion of new drugs into the law by both Oireachtas (Ireland's version of the Houses Of Parliament).

Basically, it meant that some of the newer drugs illegalised by the law were actually technically invalid.

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The case involved a man in Dublin, accused of possession of meth, who appealed against the charge because ketamine, ecstasy and crystal meth had all been unconstitutionally added to the bill.

Somehow, the lucky sod managed to prove that his point was legally sound, not only leading to monumental celebrations for himself, but probably for the rest of the drug-taking population in Ireland. Because, despite the government's best efforts to close the legal loophole, the emergency law needed to do so does not come into action until later today. NIGHTMARE.

Which means right now, there's every chance the people of Ireland are celebrating St. Paddy's day early, because anyone taking ecstasy, meth or ket can (technically) do so as they please. The laws surrounding distribution of drugs have stayed the same, mind you, so it's not completely descended into a lawless free-for-all.

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Catriona Harvey-Jenner Digital Features Editor Cat is Cosmopolitan UK's features editor covering women's issues, health and current affairs.

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