The state of Colorado is winning big with pot sales. Since legalizing medical and recreational marijuana, the state has collected over $506 M in retail sales. Recreational marijuana has a sales tax of 2.9 percent plus an excise tax of 15 percent and special sales tax of 10 percent. VS Strategies, a Denver-based pro-legalization company, told CCNMoney that the state's revenue increased $124 from 2014 to 2016. The money has been spent on schools, drug prevention and treatment programs, and regulating the marijuana industry.