BEIJING - Minister of Justice Wu Aiying said on Tuesday that China faces a "grave situation" in its battle against drug abuse.

The increased mobility of the population and the Internet have made drugs produced overseas more accessible to Chinese addicts, and judicial personnel have dealt with increased risks in helping addicts break their habits, according to the minister.

Judicial authorities have set up more than 220 rehabilitation centers across China and treated more than 230,000 drug users in the centers since their establishment.

The number of registered Chinese drug users neared 1.44 million as of June this year, according to statistics from the Ministry of Public Security.

Under China's anti-drug regulations, drug addicts are transferred to the judicial authorities' rehabilitation centers after undergoing three to six months of compulsive rehabilitation by public security authorities.