Jeb Bush, a former Republican governor of Florida who is considering a presidential bid in 2016, issued a statement on Thursday stating that the legalization of medical marijuana would "hurt the state's family-friendly reputation," according to Yahoo News.

"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," stated Bush.

He added, "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."

Jeb Bush has decided to go against the possibility of the legalization of marijuana on Florida's November election ballot, despite strong public support to use it as a treatment for debilitating illnesses, according to Reuters.

"I strongly urge Floridians to vote against Amendment 2 this November," stated Bush.

Ben Pollara, campaign manager for United for Care, which is leading the legalization of marijuana effort in Florida, stated today that he was surprised that Bush had taken "a position so out of step with the voters who twice elected him to the highest office in the state."

Twenty states along with the District of Columbia have permitted the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, though the laws widely vary.

Florida Governor Rick Scott reportedly signed a law in June allowing the limited use of a special non-euphoric strain of marijuana that is known to treat state residents with epilepsy, cancer and afflictions causing "seizures or severe and persistent muscle spasms."