Elected officials in California are urging the U.S. Department of Justice to address the state’s illegal marijuana growing operations. In a May 11 letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, the lawmakers said the abundance of marijuana grow operations in the state make the surrounding areas “untenable” and “dangerous for the residents in the surrounding neighborhoods.” “We have heard from our constituents of heinous incidents of intimidation, coercion, and violence being used by illegal growers to ensure that their operations continue unimpeded,” the letter said. About a dozen California representatives signed the letter, including Orange County congresswomen Michelle Steele and Young Kim. The letter said the grow sites have been the scene of multiple homicides; in September 2020, seven bodies were discovered at an illegal grow operation in Riverside County. As well, the illegal operations are stealing water from California residents, the representatives said. “It’s estimated that at the end of 2020, illegal marijuana grows were illegally consuming between 3 and 9.5 million …