As more states consider legislation to legalize recreational marijuana use, further evidence to support the much-debated medical merits of cannabis has surfaced. Promising preclinical studies that suggest that marijuana may be able to reduce and even kill cancerous cells have once again surfaced—and this time they’re gaining support from the federal government.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), which is federally sponsored, released an update to its website that adds recent non-human studies on cannabinoids and cancer. The studies are part of the institute’s collections under “Complimentary & Alternative Medicine,” or “CAM,” on the official government website for cancer information and research. Though marijuana is still not officially approved by the FDA and other relevant agencies for either medical or recreational use, the encouraging results of studies such as these indicate that may change in the not-too-distance future.

Here are the findings of the studies posted by the NCI:

Cannabinoids may inhibit tumor growth by...