brits and the chinese, started it for U>S> brits were trading cheap indian opium for silk and tea, the americans wanted chinese trade so they started an international opium commission 1901, By helping them with their notorious opium problem, we thought we could impress upon them our moral concerns. the first meeting of this group was january 1909, in shanghai, 3 u.s. delegates went, 1 a protestant minister, second was some ambassador, third was dr hamilton wright, the man responsible for international narcotics laws as we now know them, source drug crazy by mike grey