OpEdNews - Page 2 of Article: The Peaceful 2nd American Revolution Begins by Re-Legalizing Marijuana

The Illicit Drug Trade is a metastasizing cancer that has infected the entire world economy and you should be concerned. Mexican Drug Cartels now are active in over 230 cities throughout the Untied States according to recent reports. They are buying up your businesses, your homes and corrupting every level of government from cities to the White House.

But there is a very simple solution to this problem that the Corporate Media does not want you to understand. Just Re-Legalize the damn Marijuana under a model that is geared to destroying all the profits of illicit Marijuana sales (e.g., the MERP Model). Let me explain . . .

In a nutshell it all boils down to this. 70 percent of the Mexican Drug Cartel profits ($38 billion a year) are generated from the sale of Marijuana in the United States. So if you simply allow personal cultivation, by American Citizens, the Mexican Drug Cartels are deprived of 70 percent of their profits and they wither like a orchid in the middle of Death Valley.

Here is a lengthier description of how this would work from my series: “Legalize Marijuana Now, Obama”:

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What is the MERP Model?

MERP is really a one syllable contraction of the acronym MRPP which is short for the “Marijuana Re-Legalization Policy Project.” For brevity I will be using MERP from this point forward.

The MERP Model for Marijuana Re-Legalization is elegant in its simplicity and can be succinctly described as follows:

“The MERP model of Marijuana Re-Legalization would minimally allow non-commercial cultivation of up to 100 plants, by adults above the age of 18, without any form of government taxation, regulation or other interference.”

The MERP Model is really not significantly different than the way we allow US citizens to produce beer and wine within our homes. Home beer and wine production is neither taxed nor is it regulated. And many activists need to be weaned from this false notion that the government should get to tax everything. If they don’t tax your tomatoes or your beer, why should they be allowed to tax your Cannabis?

But the MERP Model does not preclude the issuance of licenses for commercial sale. Here is how it would work.

In the United States an ounce of high quality Marijuana sells for between 300 to 500 dollars due to the risk that the growers and distributors take to bring it to market. This is due to the fact that it is illegal. But it only costs about 20 dollars per ounce to actually grow an ounce of Marijuana using hydroponics and high intensity discharge lamps. It’s basically free if you grow outside. So if you could buy commercially grown Marijuana for 100 dollars per ounce many people would not bother to grow it. But if the price of commercially grown Marijuana was over 200 dollars per ounce most people would probably decide to grow their own. By protecting the citizens inalienable right to cultivate, without taxation or regulation, the MERP Model effectively “self regulates” the market.

None of the moneyed organizations, such as MPP or DPA, currently support the MERP Model as they tend to favor models that “tax and regulate” Marijuana much like we tax and regulate “hard liquor.” They continue to reject the MERP Model by saying support is still well below fifty percent. But I no longer think this is actually true. 55 percent of Canadians support complete legalization in 2009 and 58 percent support now exists in California. Harris and Zogby polls under report because they are based on surveys through landlines. Since many younger Americans use “cell phones” their support is under reported. And just like “hard liquor” there would be a very good chance that they would not allow you to grow your own under their “tax and regulate” models for Marijuana Re-Legalization.. And if you were able to grow your own the government would probably insist on charging you a hefty annual license fee to allow you such a privilege under these “tax and regulate” models.

It should be emphasized that the MERP Model has intrinsic advantages over all the “tax and regulate” models that are promoted by these “moneyed” organizations. For it is only by completely taking the profit out of Marijuana that we can effectively defund both drug gangs and the Mexican Drug Cartels that have now infiltrated 230 major cities throughout the United States according to the Justice Department.

The MERP Model would also stimulate United States economy even if everyone decided to grow their own.

According to a recent “60 Minutes” show, (Mexico: The War Next Door), Mexican Drug Cartels bring in over $38 billion a year from the US” which ends up in Mexico. In a recent CNN interview Attorney General Terry Goddard stated that 60 to 70% of the Mexican Drug Cartel profits are derived from Marijuana sales. But incredibly both he, and Anderson Cooper, is against the Re-Legalization of Marijuana.

But let’s take a moment to do the math.

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