Prosecutors take a tough line on cannabis supplied to relieve pain

· Up to 30% of MS sufferers estimated to use drug · Four linked to support groups face charges

Tobacco may also save lives

In $64,000 high-security greenhouses in Kent, a flourishing crop of Nicotiana tabacum is being used to produce the active ingredient for a potential anti-HIV cream for women, Ian Sample reports

How a tobacco farm in Kent could provide a life-saving drug for millions

· Genetic tweak allows HIV drug to be harvested · Environmentalists fear cross-contamination

Breast cancer drug may save 1,000 lives a year

· First proof of improved five-year survival rate· Treatment is aimed at post-menopausal women

Study shows benefit of drug for Alzheimer’s

A controversial drug for Alzheimer's can reverse some of the mental deterioration experienced by people who are in the advanced stages of the disease, according to a study published today.

From experimental treatment to artistic inspiration

It did not take long for LSD to make the leap from experimental medical treatment to recreational drug. By the late 50s, the term psychedelic had been coined by the psychiatrist Humphry Osmond.