TRENTON — The United Food and Commercial Workers Union has withdrawn its petition to unionize the employees at the medical marijuana dispensary in Egg Harbor Township, ending what would have been legal battle with national implications for the burgeoning cannabis industry.

An official at the National Labor Relations Board in Philadelphia confirmed the hearing scheduled to take place in Philadelphia Wednesday was cancelled because the organizing petition was withdrawn by the union Local 152 Tuesday.

David Knowlton, a co-founder and board chairman of Compassionate Care Foundation alternative treatment center, said he was notified by the board of the cancelled proceeding but did not receive an explanation on why it had occurred.

The nation's lawmakers are increasingly losing confidence in America's top drug cop.

Yesterday, 13 Democrats and 9 Republicans on the House Oversight Committee voted to issue a statement of "no confidence" in the ability of Michele Leonhart, the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, to carry out the duties of her job. The statement followed a day of withering criticism from lawmakers during Leonhart's testimony about a scandal involving DEA agents who attended lavish drug cartel-funded "sex parties"in Colombia.

Lawmakers in Wisconsin were expected to consider a bill to legalize marijuana this year, however it’ll likely face substantial opposition in the Republican-controlled state Legislature, legal experts have said. Conservative lawmakers rejected a similar bill last legislative session and generally oppose legalization in the state, according to the Badger Herald.

Decision Should Radically Change How Cannabis Is Used As Medicine In Canada

”Would you confine your points to things that really matter!”

This was the last thing Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin said to crown lawyer Paul Riley before Riley quickly closed his arguments.  It was an appropriate ending to a special morning in the Supreme Court of Canada.  Health Canada had failed to defend limiting patients to ‘dried marijuana,’ and everyone in the room knew it.

The decision is expected in late June or Aug.

 It's high time medicinal cannabis was worthy of political debate

Expect something different in the way of party political broadcasts shortly. You can look forward to a few minutes of people talking about why they are taking cannabis, not flags, parades, or corporation tax. It won't be to everyone's taste, but the BBC has confirmed it will take place soon.

We are the one region of the UK where the CISTA party (Cannabis is Safer than Alcohol) qualifies for a party political broadcast and I've had a sneak preview of the script.

DEA Chief Tied to Numerous Scandals and Has Long Record of Incompetence

Bipartisan Agreement that Obama Must Fire DEA Chief

There are very few political issues today which have not already become firmly entrenched along the same basic party lines that all our other political issues hew towards. In most cases, it's a matter of "Democrats believe X, while Republicans insist on Y." On one issue, though, there is a sizeable (and growing) bloc of voters who are not only cross-partisan but also so committed they could be called "single-issue voters." I'm speaking of the marijuana vote. And it could be up for grabs next year.

A federal judge in Sacramento on Wednesday upheld the constitutionality of a 1970 federal law that classifies marijuana as a dangerous drug akin to LSD and heroin.

U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller took the extraordinary step of holding a five-day hearing on the question late last year, raising the hopes of activists that she might strike down the classification.

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, known as NORML, said Mueller concluded that it was up to Congress to decide the matter.

A fundamental bill for establishing regulations over marijuana in Alaska passed the House today. The bipartisan vote is a step towards the Alcoholic Beverages Control Board creating a permit structure for all components of a full legal market.

Barrow Democrat Benjamin Nageak told colleagues during a House floor session there are some basic reasons marijuana needs its own regulatory board.

“I mean jeez, every time I see high people I go over, because I want to laugh,” Nageak said, illiciting chuckles from around the chamber. “I think we need to have a separate board to have, ya know, happy versus versus unhappy people.”