During Nazi rule those thought to be a threat to the
Fatherland were taken prisoner and placed in con-
centration camps. These prisoners were from many
different social and cultural backgrounds. To
distinguish between the prisoners, the Nazis
used a system of color coded cloth badges.
Jews were given yellow stars; half-Jews
were given yellow triangles; feminists
were given black triangles; Gypsies
were given brown; and gay men,
pink. The green triangle was
given to `common criminals' or
those who had been convicted
of minor crimes, including
drug law violators. At
the time of Nazi rule,
a very stringent set
of anti-drug laws
was in effect --
laws that were
very similar
to those
used now
in the
U.S.