In the early eighties, drug abuse and trafficking increased alarmingly around the world. To address this problem in Bangladesh, the prevention of drug abuse and illicit trafficking, the development of public awareness about the harmful effects of drugs and the treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts in 1989. Towards the end of the year, the Narcotics Control Ordinance, 1979 was issued. Subsequently, the Narcotics Control Act, 1990 was enacted on January 2, 1990 and the Narcotics and Liquor was replaced by the Department of Narcotics Control under the Secretariat of the then President in the same year. Then on September 9, 1991, the department was transferred to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Department of Narcotics Control under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. To control the flow of illicit drugs in the country, control the import, transportation and use of legal drugs used in medicine and other industries, subject to proper testing of narcotics, the main responsibility of the department is to ensure the treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts, to plan and implement prevention programs to create widespread public awareness about the evils of drugs, and to build counter-narcotics nationally and internationally throughs.