9 Des produits psychotropes 

Psychoactive substances
9.2 Translation of Conversation 1: Des vins et des
spiritueux Of wines and spirits
I had this conversation with Frédéric, an officer in the French air force
(armée de l’air, here referred to simply as armée), and his wife Nathalie,
who is of Polish origin. Frédéric loves to experiment with wines and spirits,
and wields the vocabulary of wine tasting like a pro. Nathalie is never
sure what wines go best with what foods. The first time you listen to the
conversation, try and work out if the drinking habits of young people in
France are different from countries like the UK.
 track 09.02
 

Nathalie So, will it be white wine or red, with this poulet aux prunes …?
Or maybe a rosé? I never know what goes best with chicken.
Frédéric Look, just do as you please, OK? Here, there’s this white
burgundy, dry and fruity, that’ll do just fine. Or, we still have
the Juliénas, don’t we? Rounder and longer on the palate, with
a spicy nose … How about that?
AB Now, I know I’m going to get shot for this, but I think I’ll be quite
happy with just a Coke! It’ll keep me awake, I’m working this
afternoon! However, you do make me want to join a wine-
tasting class! The very vocabulary – crimson robes, voluptuous
legs, fleshy thighs, fine noses, attacks on the palate, full,
languorous tears, and then they marry well with, or don’t … I
tell you, one wonders what, or rather whom one’s talking about!
Frédéric OK, just cool it, and concentrate on your Coke, right? We’ll just
say it’s a late 19th century vintage, appellation of origin … well
protected and registered in Atlanta, with a caramel robe, a spicy
nose with traces of orange, lemon, cinnamon and nutmeg …
Nathalie See? They say we’re no experts at marketing in France, but
take any army colonel and he’s capable of hoodwinking you
and passing off any old plastic bottle as a Grand Cru vintage!
Frédéric Ah, to get people to drink, we’re obviously the champions.
We begin in the cradle and end up in the grave! For all your
efforts at prohibition for under-18s, families themselves

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 constantly push youngsters to taste and appreciate wine, as if
to conserve a tradition and culture.
Nathalie Oh, what especially has to be conserved is the agri culture of
wine, I mean the vineyards! As it is, the domestic market for
alcohol in France represents billions of euros, and we’re exporting
as much. Right now, sales are shooting up, especially in Asia!
AB We often say that in France, we know how to drink in a more
sober manner, that we don’t have this culture of ‘binge-
drinking’ associated with British youngsters, huh? What’s it
called in French, by the way?
Frédéric Oh, there’s no dearth of expressions for it! We often say
se prendre une cuite (to get a skinful ) or se bourrer la
gueule (to stuff one’s face) … In any case, the trend has
definitely arrived in France; it’s probably ‘cool’ to behave like
English hooligans … More and more 15-year-olds are finding
themselves in hospital with acute alcohol poisoning!
Nathalie OK, so finally, with this poulet aux prunes … will it be Perrier
or Badoit? Or maybe an Italian vintage, San Pellegrino, with an
even fizzier attack on the palate?

Question: Are the drinking habits of young people in France

different from countries like the UK?
Answer: That’s what you often hear, that in France they drink soberly,
that there’s no culture of binge-drinking – which is associated mostly with
young people in Britain. But the trend has definitely arrived in France. It’s
probably ‘cool’ to act like English hooligans …
On dit souvent qu’en France on sait boire de manière plus sobre, qu’il
n’y a pas la culture du « binge-drinking » qu’on associe plutôt aux jeunes
Anglais. En tout cas, la mode est bien arrivée en France, ça fait sans doute
« cool » de faire comme les hooligans anglais …
9.2.1 Conversation 1: Did that make sense? Check your
understanding!
 track 09.03
1 Qu’est-ce qui est original dans la façon dont Frédéric décrit le
Coca-Cola ?
Il en parle comme si c’était un grand cru classé. Il déploie le vocabulaire
de la dégustation du vin et dit que le Coca est un millésime de la fin

Translations and answers 57

 du 19e siècle, d’appellation contrôlée, à la robe caramélisée et au nez
puissant aux arômes d’orange, de citron, de cannelle et de muscade …
2 Est-ce qu’il est vraiment interdit en France de boire avant l’âge
de 18 ans ?
Normalement, la vente d’alcool est interdite aux jeunes de moins de
18 ans, mais il est très facile de boire à la maison ou dans les fêtes avant
cet âge, puisque l’alcool est omniprésent et socialement accepté.
3 Les jeunes Français boivent-ils de façon plus modérée par
rapport aux Anglais ?
Ils ont la réputation de moins se bourrer la gueule que les Anglais, mais
les cas de cuites graves ou de coma éthylique chez les jeunes montent
en flèche ces dernières années.

9.3 Language plus

9.3.3 Exercises
 track 09.06
1 Et les cas de coma éthylique, il y en a autant que chez les
Britanniques ?
And cases of acute alcohol poisoning, are there as many as in Britain?
2 Ils prétendaient avoir fini, mais ils changent constamment la
date de livraison !
They claimed to have finished, but they keep changing the delivery date!
3 Ça vous dirait de partir samedi ? Ou éventuellement dimanche ?
How about leaving on Saturday? Or maybe on Sunday?
4 S’il boit de la vodka à 16 ans il aura forcément de gros
problèmes plus tard.
If he’s drinking vodka at 16, he’s surely in for serious problems later.
5 Là, je sens que tu vas l’énerver. Déjà, elle n’était pas de très
bonne humeur.
I can tell you’re going to get on her nerves. As it is, she wasn’t in a very
good mood.
6 More and more youngsters get sloshed and end up in hospital
(à l’hosto).
De plus en plus de jeunes se bourrent la gueule et finissent à l’hosto.

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 7 In fact, I’d be quite happy with a bottle of water.
En fin de compte, je me contenterais bien d’une bouteille d’eau.
8 The very title of the film! It makes you want to run (fuir, flee).
Rien que le titre du film ! Ça te donne envie de fuir !
9 There has to be a solution! Shall we call the manager (gérant),
or maybe his assistant?
Il y a forcément une solution! Appelons le gérant, ou éventuellement
son assistant ?
10 He claimed to stock (stocker) onions there, but we found crates
(caisses) of perfumes and watches.
Il prétendait y stocker des oignons, mais on a trouvé des caisses de
parfums et de montres.

9.4 Translation of Conversation 2: La vigne et la

mauvaise herbe The vine and the weed
Now you’re going to hear the conversation I had with Victor (a doctor) and his
daughter Angela about psychoactive substances other than alcohol – some
of which, like cannabis, have been the subject of intense debate in recent
years. The first time you listen to our conversation, try to listen out for what
Victor thinks about cannabis being classified as a strictly illicit drug in France.
 track 09.08
 

Angela Can I interest you in signing yet another petition, by any

chance …?
Victor Er, I dunno, but tell us anyway what it’s about!
Angela It’s about decriminiz… decriminaliz… wait, I’m ge-e-e-tting
there … the de-cri-mi-na-li-zation of cannabis (phew!).
AB You want to get us into trouble, do you? Strictly speaking,
propaganda in favour of illicit drugs is forbidden.
Victor Ah, but that’s the whole point! Illicit! In English, you say
‘Give a dog a bad name and hang him’, don’t you …?
AB But, Doctor …! You aren’t trying to encourage us all to roll a
joint now, are you?
Victor Oh, it’s better if you don’t, that’s for sure, but what gets on
my nerves is this hypocrisy about what we call a drug. The
worst culprit is wine, that’s a well-known fact. But you can’t

Translations and answers 59

 

touch that, it’s sacred! And right now, they’re really going at
it, to undo the law against advertising alcohol. It seems we’re
not proud enough of our vineyards and great vintages.
Angela Here they quote the recent study by two drug addiction
specialists on mortality rates linked to different substances.
It so happens that it isn’t even heroin that tops the list, it’s
alcohol, in fact. And guess which one’s the least harmful of all?
Victor Well, it’s cannabis obviously. Zero mortality! I’m telling you,
it’s such a waste, this relentless hunt for the poor feller
with his little bar of dope, instead of seriously dealing with
the problem of alcohol and tobacco! Just imagine, 50,000
deaths a year in France because of alcohol, and 75,000
because of tobacco!
AB And apart from that, what does it say, this petition of yours
in favour of cannabis?
Angela There are lots of funny quotes, from Bob Marley to Nixon!
And they say the medical qualities of cannabis are proven,
that there’s a kind of racism of the ‘drugs of the north’ –
alcohol, tobacco, anti-depressants – against ‘drugs of the
south’ like Indian hemp.
AB It’s true that in India, ascetics – sadhus and fakirs – consume
large quantities of the herb! For all the efforts of the British
to ban them, psychotropic substances – for smoking or
drinking – have always been part of a sacred tradition. Quite
natural, it goes back to the hymns of the Veda.
Victor As long as these products are associated with hippies,
peaceniks and backstreet dealers, the ‘northern-drugs’
merchants are sitting pretty: it’s cannabis you have to
demonize. But ever since they’ve started to legalize
cannabis in some US states, it’s creating confusion amongst
our esteemed members of parliament!
Angela They do surprise us sometimes, these Americans, huh?
Gone are the days when poor Clinton swore that if he had
smoked some cannabis, he hadn’t inhaled. I’d much rather
have an Obama who frankly says that he did inhale. That
was the whole point!

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Question: What does Victor think about cannabis being classified
as a strictly illicit drug in France?
Answer: He can’t stand the hypocrisy around the definitions of drugs. He
thinks that cannabis is much less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco, and
cites mortality statistics to prove his case.
Ce qui me donne des boutons, c’est cette hypocrisie par rapport à ce
qu’on appelle une drogue. Le pire des coupables, c’est le pinard, c’est
connu. Tu te rends compte, 50 000 morts par an en France à cause de
l’alcool et 75 000 à cause du tabac !
9.4.1 Conversation 2: Did that make sense? Check your
understanding!
 track 09.09
1 Victor est-il en faveur de la légalisation du cannabis en France ?
Je ne le pense pas. Il dit qu’il vaut mieux ne pas fumer le cannabis. Ce
qui l’énerve, c’est ce qu’il appelle l’hypocrisie par rapport à la définition
d’une « drogue ». Il dit que l’alcool est bien pire, mais « sacré » : il est en
vente libre partout.
2 Le tabac et l’alcool ont-ils causé plus de ravages en France que
le cannabis ?
C’est clair ! Le tabac tue 75 000 personnes par an en France et l’alcool
en tue 50 000, sans même compter les souffrances causées aux familles
et aux amis des alcooliques ! C’est sans comparaison avec les dégâts
causés par le cannabis.
3 Pourquoi l’interdiction du cannabis a-t-elle toujours été
inefficace en Inde ?
En Inde, et dans d’autres cultures, les ascètes – sâdhus et fakirs – qui
renoncent à ce monde, consomment ouvertement des produits
psychotropes, en les fumant ou en les buvant. Quand une tradition est
ancrée dans une culture, les lois coloniales, ou modernes, n’arrivent pas
facilement à la contrer !

Translations and answers 61

9.5 What do you think? Time for you to take part in a
conversation!

 track 09.10
1 L’alcool et le tabac sont plus respectables dans le monde que le
cannabis. Pourquoi ?
Nous vivons dans un monde où ce qui est normal ou respectable est
largement défini dans le « nord » – typiquement aux Etats-Unis et en
Europe. Le cannabis est associé au sud, et aux cultures marginalisées.
En plus l’alcool et le tabac – production, distribution et vente – sont
depuis longtemps ancrés dans l’économie du nord. Pas le cannabis !
2 Pourquoi, à votre avis, certains états se sont récemment mis à
légaliser le cannabis ?
C’est en partie une conséquence des études scientifiques et des
campagnes qui ont affirmé que l’alcool et le tabac, qui sont pires, sont
parfaitement autorisés. Peut-être aussi parce que la criminalisation du
cannabis s’est révélée contre-productive.
3 Quel rapport un produit psychotrope peut-il avoir avec la
recherche spirituelle ?
Dans certaines traditions religieuses et culturelles l’état de transe, induit
ou aidé par des substances psychotropes comme le cannabis ou
l’opium, a été associé à l’expérience mystique. Plusieurs textes sacrés
mentionnent des plantes qui aident à la méditation, à dépasser l’égo, à
atteindre la fusion cosmique, la paix intérieure, la sagesse spirituelle, etc.

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