He also confessed to possessing heroin substitutes including Subutex without prescription.

Police were alerted when Davies was found slumped in his car and a search of the vehicle revealed a large amount of drug paraphernalia.

A subsequent search of his home yielded a variety of illegal drugs.

"The police were concerned about the possibility of him dealing," said Andrew David, counsel for the prosecution.

"But that was denied by him and he was subsequently charged with these offences."

His defence claimed in court that Davies had been attempting to self-medicate with the drugs in the hope of kicking his addiction.

Davies had previously referred himself to a drug treatment service, but had been waiting one year for a methadone prescription.

"He is a man who has significant motivation to rid himself of this scourge," said Stephen Harrett, counsel for the defence.

"He desires to embrace any assistance he has in that endeavour."

Davies was given a one year community order with a supervision requirement.

"It is to your credit that you’ve attempted to address this on your own, but you’ve obviously got to comply with this now," said Howard Davies, presiding magistrate.

"If you don’t help yourself, this is not going to work. If you don’t comply you will be brought back to court."

"The ball is in your court to address this."

These figures contradict the arguments given by the UK government for reclassifying cannabis from Class C to Class B.

In May, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith told parliament that the strength of cannabis had increased 300% and there was a 'causal link, albeit a weak one, between cannabis use and psychotic illness.'

"My decision takes into account issues such as public perception and the needs and consequences for policing priorities," she said.

"There is a compelling case for us to act now rather than risk the future health of young people."

Official figures also show a drop in cannabis usage since the drug was downgraded to Class C.

"This information suggests that, in the time that it has been a class C drug, usage levels of cannabis have fallen and so has its strength," said David Porteous, a lecturer in criminology at Middlesex University.

"These findings make a mockery of the decision to re-reclassify cannabis and of the government's wider claim to base policy-making decisions on scientific research."

"Furthermore they call into question the validity of other controversial and publicly criticised government claims regarding drug policy, for example the link between cannabis and mental illness or the legitimacy of our current classification system."

But when the FSS were asked to comment on the figures, they stated that the sample was too small to be statisically significant.

A spokesperson claimed that the figures were 'unlikely to be an accurate representation of THC in cannabis across the board as not all samples submitted to the FSS are routinely analysed for THC content.'

"The FSS database also does not distinguish between sinsemilla cannabis and imported herbal cannabis," said the spokesperson.

"The Royal Navy does not tolerate misuse of drugs by its personnel and internal action is underway against all 18 individuals," said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

"Notwithstanding the numbers involved in this single unprecedented incident which is being treated very seriously, it has not affected the ship's ability to do its job."

The MoD were keen to downplay the significance of the bust, claiming that drug use in the Navy was a fraction of that in the civilian world.

"These results must be understood in context," the MoD spokesperson said.

"Tests show that drug misuse is almost 20 times more common in civilian work places than it is in the Navy."

"Positive test rates in the Navy last year averaged less than 0.4%, compared with over 7% in civilian workplaces."

"The UK Ministry of Defence conducts Europe's largest compulsory drug testing programme and this has significantly reduced drug misuse among service personnel."

"We are not complacent though and our compulsory drug tests will continue to expose those few that let the rest down."

HMS Liverpool was recently charged with defending the Falkland Islands, and some say that the bust has compromised the reputation of the Royal Navy.

"The worst aspect of this scandal is that HMS Liverpool is supposed to be guarding the Falkland Islands and such a large drugs bust hardly does wonders for confidence," said a senior Naval source to The Sun newspaper.

The eighteen are now subject to disciplinary action -- but it is almost certain that they will all be dismissed from the Navy.

Five soldiers from the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery were recently dismissed for cocaine use, in line with the zero tolerance policy found in the armed forces.

Although the cost of the drug has plummeted in recent years, some believe that use has become more widespread due to its perception as a 'dinner party drug'.

"Cocaine is seen as a middle-class drug associated with success and money," said Clare McNeil, spokesperson for Addaction, a charity offering treatment for drug addiction.

"It doesn't have the stigma attached to other Class A drugs like heroin but it can be just as destructive."

Another possible reason for the increase in deaths is due to cocaine use being combined with alcohol -- the two combine in the body to form cocaethylene, a highly toxic substance that raises the risk of cardiac arrest.

"People are often ignorant of the risks of combining alcohol with cocaine for example, which can increase the risk of liver and heart disease, strokes and epilepsy," McNeil said.

The figures show that deaths from all drugs have been highest in men aged 30-39 -- with the death rate among men in the 40-49 age group increasing by 45 per cent in the past five years.

"The increase in deaths among men in their thirties and forties is worrying," said McNeil.

"It suggests that more people are continuing to experiment and take risks with drugs well into adulthood."

The Department of Health responded to the figures by stating that tackling drug abuse was a priority for them.

"Increased funding has led to 130 per cent more people in treatment and crime associated with drugs has fallen," said a spokesperson.

"Recently, we discovered that grapefruit and these other fruit juices substantially decrease the oral absorption of certain drugs undergoing intestinal uptake transport," said Professor Bailey.

"The concern is loss of benefit of medications essential for the treatment of serious medical conditions."

The study took healthy individuals and gave them fexofenadine, an antihistamine, along with either a glass of grapefruit juice, a glass of water containing naringin (the compound that makes grapefruit juice taste bitter), or water.

Grapefruit juice drinkers only absorbed half of the amount of fexofenadine, compared to those who drank water.

The water with naringin served to block a key drug uptake transporter called OATP1A2.

"Blocking this transporter reduces drug absorption and neutralizes their potential benefits," according to the study's findings.

"By contrast, drugs whose levels are boosted in the presence of grapefruit juice appear to block an important drug metabolising enzyme, called CYP3A4, that normally breaks down drugs."

Until more is known, patients are being advised to stick to water when taking medicines and to consult with their own doctor if they want to drink juice.

But Professor Bailey believes that much more research is required -- there could be many more drugs out there that interact badly with fruit juices.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg," he said.

"I'm sure we'll find more and more drugs that are affected this way."

The drug has since been used to treat other conditions, but there have been concerns over damage to brain tissue.

But a new research effort is looking at methylene blue in very small doses, which should avoid the neurotoxic effects of larger doses.

Tests in the lab show that it slows cellular ageing and enhances mitochondrial function -- spurring hopes that it could be used to treat degenerative brain conditions.

"The results are very encouraging," said Dr Hani Atamna of the Children's Hospital & Research Center in Oakland, California.

"We'd eventually like to try to prevent the physical and cognitive decline associated with ageing, with a focus on people with Alzheimer's disease."

"One of the key aspects of Alzheimer's disease is mitochondrial dysfunction, specifically complex IV dysfunction, which methylene blue improves."

"Our findings indicate that methylene blue, by enhancing mitochondrial function, expands the mitochondrial reserve of the brain."

"Adequate mitochondrial reserve is essential for preventing age-related disorders such as Alzheimer's disease."

One of Dr Atamna's colleagues is excited about the prospect of treating serious diseases with a drug that is very cheap to manufacture.

"What we potentially have is a wonder drug." said Dr Bruce Ames.

"To find that such a common and inexpensive drug can be used to increase and prolong the quality of life by treating such serious diseases is truly exciting."

"The existing data, by numerous studies, are starting to show that the rates of heart disease and diabetes and obesity are doubled or sometimes even tripled in people who sit a lot."

Sitting down shuts down production of lipase, an enzyme crucial to fat absorption.

"Instead, the fat will recirculate in the blood stream and go and be stored as body fat or it can clog arteries and cause diseases," said Professor Hamilton.

Standing up reduces the levels of glucose in the blood, which could reduce the likelihood of diabetes occurring.

The average person can also expect to burn up 60 calories per hour just by standing.

"When we think about the postural muscles that are mostly in the legs and back, these are big, powerful muscles," Professor Hamilton said.

"We're talking probably 20 pounds of muscle in each leg."

"That's a lot of muscle that can be engaged in routine activities."

Such is his conviction that Professor Hamilton has got rid of his desk chair -- he now has a treadmill instead.

"If you can perform a behaviour while sitting or standing, I would choose standing," he said.

"You can have just as much fun watching your kids play if you're standing by the fence, next to a friend who pulls out that aluminium lawn chair and is sitting there."

"But just avoid the chair is the simple recommendation, as much as you can."

Professor Hamilton is confident that other researchers will pursue this idea, leading to new breakthroughs in medicine.

"There is going to be a flood of research on this in the next couple of years, and not just by us," he said.

"This has raised the attention of a lot of great scientists around the world who have begun doing their own studies."

"Electromagnetic fields generated by cell phones should be considered a potential human health risk," reads the report.

"Sufficient time has not elapsed in order for us to have conclusive data on the biological effects of cell phones and other cordless phones -- a technology that is now universal."

Although the link between mobile phones and cancer is still contentious, Dr Herberman is taking a precautionary approach.

"Really at the heart of my concern is that we shouldn't wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later," he said.

The advisory contains diagrams showing how electromagnetic fields penetrate the brain when a mobile phone is being used -- with penetration levels much greater for the young.

Dr Herberman's advisory was issued with the active encouragement of Dr Devra Lee Davis, director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh.

"The question is do you want to play Russian roulette with your brain," said Dr Davis.

"I don't know that cell phones are dangerous."

"But I don't know that they are safe."

Dr Herberman has issued the following advice to minimise the health effects of mobile phones:

Do not allow children to use a cell phone, except for emergencies. The developing organs of a foetus or child are the most likely to be sensitive to any possible effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields.

Choose a device with the lowest SAR possible (SAR = Specific Absorption Rate, which is a measure of the strength of the magnetic field absorbed by the body). SAR ratings of contemporary phones by different manufacturers are available by searching for “sar ratings cell phones” on the internet.

It is little known outside the region, but botanists hope that it could become a widely popular remedy.

"As far as I know, our centre is the only place in the US conducting production research [on yerba mansa]," said Professor Charles Martin, a researcher at New Mexico State University.

There are concerns over threats to the natural habitat of the plant -- cultivation could be the key to the continued survival of the species.

"There are a lot of plants that have almost been picked to extinction," said Michael Moore, director of the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine in Bisbee, Arizona.

"A hundred years ago, American ginseng could be found in 22 states and now it's only found in a few."

Professor Martin alighted upon yerba mansa after looking for potential that could survive adverse conditions.

"We targeted native herbs in an effort to find alternative crops for small farmers that are drought tolerant and have a built-in pest resistance, and yerba mansa is an ideal plant that meets that criteria," he said.

"It will grow in a wide variety of conditions and soils, including alkaline-encrusted soil and in all degrees of sunlight."

"Once established, it doesn't need any more water than a typical crop, than say alfalfa."

Some nurseries in California already grow yerba mansa for ecological restoration projects -- and there is already enthusiasm for the idea of growing it there on a larger scale.

"We could easily go into cropping," said Jeff Nighman, vice president of Santa Barbara Natives, a nursery based in Gaviota.

"It could be a branch of what we're doing already."

One member of the Yaquis tribe from Tucson, Arizona, is also experimenting with growing yerba mansa without soil -- he is using a variant of hydroponic technology called aeroponics.

Bill Quiroga, president of Native American Botanics, hopes that Native American farmers will eventually grow the herb to supply his wholesale company.

"We have to find ways to grow it so that we keep the herb for later generations," he said.

In a typical case, Dr Hijazi went to Jordan to implant a device called an amplatzer muscular VSD into the heart of a child from Massachusetts.

The device can be used to close up congenital 'holes' in the heart and is manufactured by Minneapolis-based AGA Medical.

It was available for 9 years in Jordan before it was finally approved for US use in 2007.

Dr Hijazi believes that children are getting worse treatment in the US, and have even died, because approval for adult medical devices takes priority.

He claims that more than 90 per cent of the medical devices he uses on children are 'off-label', meaning that they are approved for use on adults only.

"We take responsibility as physicians for using unapproved devices on kids," he said.

One medic is sure that children have died as a result of the lack of specialised implants for the young.

"In the nineties, we lost lives in the cath lab," said Dr Thomas Forbes, director of cardiac catheterisation at the Children's Hospital of Michigan.

"Patients have died on the table because we were using stents that were made for adults and weren't flexible enough."

A recent law provides financial incentives for companies to make devices for children -- but it also requires them to track the progress of patients at their own expense.

"It's a paperwork nightmare," Dr Forbes said.

"They have to commit resources and follow these patients forever."

"If I'm a [Johnson & Johnson] stockholder, I'm saying, 'I love kids, I'd love to help them out, but move on.'"

Some believe that the focus on adults is down to the fact that the market for children is much smaller.

"We're all anxious for the dissolvable stent...but do you think Johnson & Johnson is going to be interested in doing this for babies?" said Dr Richard Ringel, a paediatric cardiologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

"No, they want to do it for [adult] coronary patients because the numbers are so much larger."

One manufacturer acknowledged the inherent problems with developing devices specifically for children.

"We have not cracked the code on this," said Michael Mussallem, chief executive of Edwards Lifesciences, makers of a a blood-oxygen monitor designed for the young.

"Development is time-consuming, there are regulatory hurdles and how do you recoup your investment?"

"The math generally does not work."

Mussallem also believes that there is a culture of 'getting by' when it comes to treating children.

"There's not a climate for innovation," he said.

"A great percentage of devices are used off-label to accommodate children's needs."

"Physicians are just used to getting by."

An upcoming conference organised by the state-funded National Institutes of Health (NIH) will bring doctors and manufacturers together to discuss the issue.

The trade association representing medical device makers is looking to the government for leadership on the issue.

"First, we need to understand what the needs are and I'm hopeful that NIH will help catalogue the needs," said Tara Federici of AdvaMed.

"Surrender is intensely powerful. To 'let go' and become enveloped in the beauty of -- in this case music -- was enormously spiritual," said one volunteer.

After a year, they were asked how they now felt about their experience -- the vast majority still felt the benefits.

"This is a truly remarkable finding," said Dr Roland Griffiths, a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

"Rarely in psychological research do we see such persistently positive reports from a single event in the laboratory."

"This gives credence to the claims that the mystical-type experiences some people have during hallucinogen sessions may help patients suffering from cancer-related anxiety or depression and may serve as a potential treatment for drug dependence."

Research into psychedelics has attracted a great deal of controversy over the years, especially due to worries about the mental health of participants.

But Dr Griffiths believes that the subjects of the psilocybin trial did not experience any lasting harm.

"While some of our subjects reported strong fear or anxiety for a portion of their day-long psilocybin sessions, none reported any lingering harmful effects, and we didn't observe any clinical evidence of harm," he said.

In fact, over half of the participants considered the session to be one of the most significant events of their lives.

"We have people saying these eight hours in the lab are among the most meaningful in their lives," Dr Griffiths said.

"Some rank it alongside births and deaths of loved ones."

They found the cannabis hidden in several trenches, and destroyed the drugs in situ that day by setting fire to the trenches.

The destroyed cannabis had an estimated wholesale value of US$400 million (£200 million).

Nato-led forces in Afghanistan heaped praise upon the Afghan police for their efforts.

"The Afghan National Police Special Task Force has made a huge step forward in proving its capability in curbing the tide of illegal drug trade in this country," said General David McKiernan, commander of Isaf, Nato's International Security Assistance Force.

"With this single find, they have seriously crippled the Taliban's ability to purchase weapons that threaten the safety and security of the Afghan people and the region."

"The international community will continue to support the Afghan forces with more of the same training and support that helped them achieve such success in this mission."

Afghanistan has been criticised in the past for failing to crack down on drug trafficking -- the success of this operation will go a long way to improving their reputation with the international community.

"This was the largest ever single find of narcotics in history," said David Miliband, the UK Foreign Secretary.

"It reflects the efforts of the Afghan government against the drug trade, and was so large that two aircraft were brought in to destroy the underground bunker in which the hashish was being stored."

"Britain and the rest of the international community will continue to do everything we can to support the Afghan government fight the narcotics trade, and promote Afghan development."

The book is intended to explain to women why so many successful men opt to stay single -- and also to make lifelong bachelors realise that they are not unique in being so selective.

"Men are 10 times more scared of marrying the wrong person than of never getting married at all," said Weisman.

"This is the first generation of people who have grown up with bad divorces."

"People assume there is something wrong if you don't marry but these are men who have made a different choice and not given in to social pressures."

"It's so important to these men to get it right."

Weisman's online survey found that around 8 percent never want to marry while 62 percent plan to wed -- but half of them won't settle for anything less than perfection.

The remaining 30 percent are undecided either way.

72 percent of respondents said they were unafraid of marriage itself, but half of them said that marrying the wrong person was their greatest fear.

"My best advice to single women after bachelors is to be patient," said Weisman.

"If you're in a hurry to get married you'll be frustrated."

Weisman found that money was an important factor, whether you had a little or a lot.

"Those with little money said they would have nothing to offer a partner, with some suffering self-esteem issues and withdrawing from the dating pool," he said.

"While those who are financially sound were terrified what a bad divorce could do to them."

Although it is commonly assumed that the single are more miserable than the married, Weisman's research defied such preconceptions.

"A compelling issue was how many of them had found contentment in a never-married life," he said.

"They had created lives full of careers, friends and ambitions."

"It was not like they walk around all day worried about not being married."

Ironically, working on the book made him look at his own life in greater depth -- Weisman moved in with a girlfriend for the first time ever and they are now contemplating marriage.

"As I researched the book I found I was looking at men 10 years older than me and it was like looking into the future," he said.

"If I didn't change, nothing would."

They sit about 12 to 16 inches above water, giving them a low profile that radar can't track easily.

"There has been information that the semi-submersibles have existed for about 10 years," said Rear Admiral Joseph Nimmich, director of the Joint Interagency Task Force South in Key West, Florida.

"But 2006 was the first time US law enforcement actually saw one."

The semi-subs are between 45 to 82 feet long, travel at 8 mph and can have a range of up to 2,000 miles -- and can carry between eight to ten tons of cocaine.

"It's in fact a logical progression," Nimmich said.

"As we get better at interdiction, they move to try to counteract our success."

It is estimated that 25 to 40 semi-subs left South America loaded with cocaine in 2007, with that figure expected to double this year.

The US Coast Guard is now working with Congress to make it illegal to even be aboard an unflagged semi-sub in international waters -- whether or not cocaine is present.

Such a new crime would carry a 20-year prison sentence.

"This vessel has no purpose other than illicit trafficking," said Nimmich.

Intelligence agencies are now helping to detect the semi-subs, using all the techniques at their disposal.

"We’re using the same kinds of technologies that we used to hunt submarines in the Cold War to try and find these semi-submersibles," said US Southern Command Admiral Jim Stavridis.

Nimmich is sure that semi-subs will continue to grow in popularity, unless the authorities can find ways to stop them.

"Drug runners will continue to do this until we become more successful than they are," he said.

In the medieval era, bread contaminated with ergot had caused a debilitating condition known as St Anthony's Fire, which has symptoms including gangrene and loss of limbs.

But the alkaloids in ergot were felt by some to have potential benefits and in 1935, ergonovine was first isolated from the fungus.

As it causes strong muscular contractions, it has since been used medically to induce labour and to control haemmorrhaging.

This work spurred Hofmann to investigate what other applications the ergot alkaloids could be used for.

But his initial 1938 research into LSD was fruitless -- studies failed to show any effects on animals and he abandoned the approach.

It was five years later when Hofmann decided to go back to his previous work with LSD.

After inadvertently inhaling some vapours from synthesised LSD, Hofmann experienced an altered state of consciousness.

"On a Friday afternoon, April 16, 1943, while working in the laboratory, I was seized by a peculiar sensation of vertigo and restlessness," he said.

"Objects, as well as the shape of my associates in the laboratories, appeared to undergo optical changes."

"I was unable to concentrate on my work."

"In a dreamlike state, I left for home, where an irresistible urge to lie down and sleep overcame me."

"Light was so intense as to be unpleasant."

"I drew the curtains and immediately fell into a peculiar state of 'drunkenness', characterised by an exaggerated imagination."

"With my eyes closed, fantastic pictures of extraordinary plasticity and intensive colour seemed to surge towards me."

"After two hours, this state gradually subsided and I was able to eat dinner with a good appetite."

Three days later, Hofmann took the smallest possible dose of LSD -- 250 micrograms -- in an attempt to discover the exact action of the drug.

After taking the drug in the laboratory, he asked his assistant to help him cycle home.

"On the way home, my condition began to assume threatening forms."

"Everything in my field of vision wavered and was distorted as if seen in a curved mirror."

"I also had the sensation of being unable to move from the spot."

"Nevertheless, my assistant later told me that we had travelled very rapidly."

The dose wore off after six hours, thus ending the world's first LSD trip.

Hofmann's employers, Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, decided that the drug had potential in psychotherapy and began distributing the drug to therapists.

As a result, hundreds of papers were written by academics that detailed the use of LSD to treat a variety of disorders including addiction -- but all that research ended in the 1960s as the drug was banned around the world.

Although Hofmann worked extensively with psychedelics after the discovery of LSD, he was critical of the approach of Timothy Leary, an advocate for the liberal use of drugs.

He eventually encountered Leary in 1971 at the railway station buffet in Lausanne.

Hofmann expressed his regret that academic research into LSD had ended as a result of the controversy generated by figures such as Leary.

He also expressed doubts about the wisdom of encouraging young people to consume drugs.

“He maintained that I was unjustified in reproaching him for the seduction of immature persons to drug consumption."

According to Hofmann, Leary believed that American teenagers 'with regard to information and life experience, were comparable to adult Europeans' and were therefore equipped to make their own decisions.

After many decades of inactivity, the field of academic research into LSD has experienced a resurgence.

Hofmann had been due to speak at a recent conference in Basel, but ill-health prevented his attendance.

"[Albert and I] spoke on the phone the day after the Basel conference and he was happy and fulfilled," said Rick Doblin of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies.

"He'd seen the renewal of LSD psychotherapy research with his own eyes, as had [his wife] Anita."

"I said that I looked forward to discussing the results of the study with him in about a year and a half and he laughed and said he'd try to help the research however he could, either from this side or 'the other side'."

He is survived by his three children with his wife Anita, who predeceased him in late 2007.

Dr Albert Hofmann: January 11th 1906 -- April 29th 2008.