Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush spoke out against legalizing marijuana in the state, saying the action would hurt the state’s family-friendly reputation.

Activists are trying to put an initiative legalizing medicinal use of marijuana on Florida’s ballot in November, but Mr. Bush said Thursday approving it would be a mistake.

“Florida leaders and citizens have worked for years to make the Sunshine State a world-class location to start or run a business, a family-friendly destination for tourism and a desirable place to raise a family or retire,” Mr. Bush said.

Recent polling data shows strong support for legalizing medical marijuana in Florida. According to Reuters, 88 percent support legalization, compared to just 10 percent of those polled saying they opposed the ballot measure.

“Allowing large-scale, marijuana operations to take root across Florida, under the guise of using it for medicinal purposes, runs counter to all of these efforts,” Mr. Bush said.

So far, 20 states and the District of Columbia have varying legislation permitting the use of medical marijuana.

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