Senate panel acts to shield medical pot programs from feds

WASHINGTON — Amid uncertainty over the federal government’s policy toward state marijuana laws, a U.S. Senate panel moved forward with a bill that would block the Department of Justice from cracking down on medical marijuana operations.
As part of a broader spending bill, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed language that prohibits the department from using money to go after medical marijuana dispensaries that are acting in accordance with state law.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.,