Columnist Peter Hitchens has asserted that societal behaviors and public policies are inadvertently contributing to the strain on healthcare systems, particularly the National Health Service (NHS).
In a critique of public health trends, Hitchens challenges the notion that vaping is a successful method for quitting smoking. He argues that individuals who vape are merely changing their method of consumption rather than abstaining from smoking, and that this practice carries its own risks, including respiratory irritation and potential long-term health consequences that are not yet fully understood. Clinical trials have documented side effects such as throat and mouth irritation, coughing, and shortness of breath, with emerging concerns about increased coughing, wheezing, airway inflammation, and worsened asthma in young people who vape.
Hitchens also questions the widespread prescription of antidepressants, citing an increase of over 15 percent in prescriptions in England over five years, with one in seven people in England receiving them last year. He points to potential side effects and the unproven effectiveness of these medications. Similarly, he expresses skepticism regarding the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, suggesting that a subjective diagnostic process leads to the prescription of powerful drugs like amphetamines, which carry significant risks such as aggression, insomnia, impaired memory, and increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
The columnist further addresses the societal acceptance and use of marijuana, linking it to mental illness and potential for increased violence, despite its prevalent "peaceful" public image. He criticizes the lack of enforcement of laws against marijuana possession, suggesting that current policies may be contributing to its spread.
Hitchens contends that instead of solely focusing on treating illness, there should be a greater effort to prevent people from becoming sick in the first place. He suggests that the current societal design, which promotes or fails to curb behaviors detrimental to health, places an undue burden on healthcare professionals.
In a separate commentary, Hitchens notes changes to the Common Travel Agreement between Britain and Ireland. He observes that air travelers to Dublin are now subjected to passport checks, a measure he finds bureaucratic and politically motivated. While the agreement historically allowed for free travel without passports, Irish officials now reportedly require passports to verify UK citizenship for air arrivals. He contrasts this with the apparently less stringent border controls between Ireland and Northern Ireland, where internal EU regulations ended customs posts in 1993 and passports were not required. Hitchens expresses concern that such measures could lead to increased bureaucracy in travel between the two nations and hopes for reciprocal treatment from the UK.