Voters reject moves to legalise marijuana

Warned of dangers and legal chaos, California voters rejected a measure that would have made their state the first in the US to legalise the use and sale of marijuana.

It was by far the highest-profile of the 160 ballot measures being decided in 37 states.

On a night of conservative advances in much of the country, Massachusetts voters spurned a chance to cut their taxes - rejecting a proposal to lower the state sales tax from 6.25% to 3%.

In Oklahoma, voters overwhelmingly passed three measures that dismayed some progressive and immigrants-rights groups.

One makes English the state's "common and unifying language," another requires a government-issued photo ID in order to vote, and the third prohibits state courts from considering international law or Islamic law when deciding cases.