WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump has endorsed congressional efforts to protect states that have legalized marijuana from federal action.

U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., said Friday that Trump made the commitment in a phone call. In return, Gardner, a member of Senate leadership as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said he would no longer block confirmation of Trump's nominees to several Justice Department posts.

"President Trump has assured me that he will support a federalism-based legislative solution to fix this states' rights issue once and for all," Gardner said in a statement. "My colleagues and I are continuing to work diligently on a bipartisan legislative solution that can pass Congress and head to the president's desk to deliver on his campaign position."

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Gardner's account was accurate.

"We're always consulting Congress about issues, including states' rights, of which the president is a firm believer," she said at the daily press briefing.

Colorado is one of several states that legalized marijuana for personal use. Gov. Phil Murphy has proposed that New Jersey also legalize weed, and Trump's move was seen as good news by a leading supporter of that effort.

"This announcement represents tremendous progress in efforts to legalize cannabis, both here in New Jersey and across the country," New Jersey CannaBusiness Association President Scott Rudder said.

"We are glad that President Trump has decided to protect states that have already legalized and prevent what would have been chaos and confusion," Rudder said. "This also bodes well for our ongoing efforts to legalize cannabis in the Garden State."

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who has introduced legislation to remove the federal ban on marijuana, was more skeptical.

"Commitments mean little from this president, particularly verbal commitments that go against every policy we've seen coming out of this administration," Booker said. "As long as Trump is in the White House and Jeff Sessions is leading the Department of Justice, the only way to truly protect states that have legalized marijuana is for Congress to act."

Gardner took action after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced in January that federal prosecutors once again were free to bring marijuana cases in states that had legalized the drug, reversing a policy established during President Barack Obama's administration.

Congress already has blocked the Justice Department from spending any funds to enforce federal marijuana prohibitions in states that have legalized the drug for medical use, including New Jersey. That provision most recently was part of the $1.3 billion spending bill that also includes funding for the Gateway Tunnel project, Congress renewed its ban on the Justice Department

The co-sponsor of the provision, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., said there was not yet a majority for legislation that would ban the Department of Justice from also interfering with state efforts to legalize cannabis for personal use.

"This is another head-spinning moment," said Blumenauer, co-founder of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus. "We should hope for the best, but not take anything for granted. Trump changes his mind constantly, and Republican leadership is still in our way."

"Momentum is clearly building in the states and here in DC," he said. "The tide is changing. Now is the time to redouble our efforts."

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Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.