The 68th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) was marked by two parallel and overlapping crises that exacerbated each other. First, the ongoing breakdown of the ‘Vienna spirit’ – the set of practices that created for decades an appearance of universal support for the global drug control regime. Second, the USA immediately halted almost all funding to the United Nations (UN), which was already ensnared in a serious liquidity crisis, whilst challenging many of its norms and institutions. Both are historical developments whose impacts will unfold over the years. However, several tentative lessons can be drawn.