The Seanad has passed an emergency law to introduce the ban on drugs like ecstasy and crystal meth.

The Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill will now go to President Higgins this afternoon to be signed into law.

Assuming the President is happy to sign the bill ahead of schedule, the ban on the drugs will be reimposed from midnight tonight.

The ban on over 200 drugs was overturned yesterday, when the Court of Appeal struck down part of the law as unconstitutional.

Simon Coveney, the Agriculture Minister, has said the Government did all it could to minimise the length of time ecstasy and over 100 other drugs would be legalised.

The Government has been forced to pass emergency legislation through the Dáil and Seanad - after the Court of Appeal yesterday struck down a section of the Misuse of Drugs Act.

The Amended Bill - once again banning ecstasy, ketamine, crystal meth and other psychoactives - is not due to take effect until tomorrow.

When asked if the need for new legislation was embarrassing for the Government, Simon Coveney says the Government did all it could.

Health Minister Leo Varadkar has said in future, the Oireachtas will have to approve new restrictions whenever the government wants to ban individual drugs.

"Primary legislation will now be needed to add to this controlled substances, until we have new primary legislation to cover the policies and principles," he said.

"Having said that though the criminal justice psychoactive substances act of 2010 does still stand," he added.

Yesterday, Mr Varadkar said dozens of people found guilty of drugs offences could now have their convictions overturned.