The Bulletin is a continuous publication since 1949, and provides information on developments in drug control at the local, national, regional, and international levels that can be of benefit to the international community. This issue contains a historical review of the international drug control system, one of the oldest consensus-based multilateral systems in existence. It is rooted in efforts made a century ago to address the largest substance abuse problem the world had ever faced: the Chinese opium epidemic. With this as a starting point, the article outlines the development of international mechanisms to tackle issues related to illicit drugs.