Editor's Note:

The challenge arisen from the use of drugs is an international one; it is most acute in the US. Twelve percent of global drug users come from the country, three times the proportion of the US population to that of the world, according to a recent report released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Facts and statistics revealed that the US government has been delegating its primary responsibility to protect its citizens to the people themselves. The drug abuse is just one case in point. Politicians have been ignoring the sedation or even outright poison administered by interest groups to the public, always for selfish political gains. Check out this photographic to get deeper understanding of the gravity, causes and costs of this social malaise in the US.

Drug Abuse: A Social Malaise in US. Graphics: Tang Tengfei, Chen He, Liu Xidan, Xia Qing/GT