States rake in billions from recreational pot sales. That didn't sway Oklahoma voters

Oklahoma voters on Tuesday resoundingly rejected legalizing recreational marijuana, deciding not to join 21 other states and the District of Columbia. Approving the ballot measure would have raised tens of millions of dollars in new annual tax revenue for the state.

In a special election, voters turned down State Question 820 by more than 20 percentage points. Had it passed, the measure would have brought the state new money from a 15% excise tax on top of its existing 4.5% sales tax for cannabis sales.

With the vote, Oklahoma joined three other states — Arkansas, North Dakota and South. But in states that have embraced legalization, revenue from the legal sale of marijuana to adults 21 and older has been a boon to state coffers, raking in billions of dollars a year from hefty taxes and other fees. Those funds have helped finance everything from the public schools to state health insurance, attracting the attention of lawmakers and voters even in some of the most red states.