at birth i was green but i was dressed in a thousand colors i have caused many deaths and imprisoned many men,

Sounds as if this belongs in the Riddle section:

http://www.jiskha.com/net_riddle/

=)

tobacco, maybe???? Don't know about the thousand colors though.

cards

The statement you provided seems to be a riddle or a piece of poetic language rather than a specific question. If you are looking for an explanation or answer to the riddle, here is one interpretation:

The answer to the riddle could be "money" or "currency." From the perspective of money, it can be seen as "green" because many countries use green-colored banknotes. However, money itself comes in various denominations and colors, hence the mentioning of being "dressed in a thousand colors." Money has the power to cause both positive and negative effects - it can lead to deaths when people fight over it or commit crimes for it, and it can also lead to imprisonment when individuals are caught in illegal activities related to money.

It's worth noting that riddles can have multiple interpretations, and different individuals may have different answers in mind.