Publicly, the Nazi regime was obsessed with health, hygiene, and the biological "purity" of the German people. They passed some of the most draconian anti-drug laws in history, viewing addiction as a "racial" weakness and sending those deemed "addicts" to concentration camps. But behind the propaganda posters was a state that was, in reality, a high-functioning drug culture.

While they persecuted marginal groups for using substances, the state sanctioned a new miracle drug for the "Aryan" masses: Pervitin. Developed by Temmler-Werke in Berlin, this methamphetamine was marketed as a way to conquer fatigue and boost the economy. It was sold over the counter as a "people's drug" (Volksdroge), used by everyone from housewives to night-shift workers to keep the Nazi machine running.

The most striking evidence of this hypocrisy was found in the leadership. Ernst Röhm, the head of the SA, was a regular at the Eldorado, Berlin’s queer hub where cocaine flowed freely. Hermann Göring, the head of the Luftwaffe, was a long-time morphine addict who maintained his habit even at his headquarters in the heart of Berlin.

The pinnacle of this chemical duality was Adolf Hitler himself. Under the care of his personal physician, Dr. Theodor Morell, Hitler transitioned from a lifestyle of vitamins and hormones to heavy narcotics. By the final days in the Führerbunker, Hitler was receiving daily injections of powerful opiates like Eukodal (oxycodone). The man who demanded a "pure" Germany died in a state of extreme drug withdrawal.