Despite a government panel’s conclusion that there isn’t enough evidence about the best way for doctors to persuade children and teens not to use drugs, a leading expert on teen substance abuse says pediatricians should continue to talk to their patients about drug and alcohol use.

With prom and graduation season nearing, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), in conjunction with other groups, is proclaiming April 21 “PowerTalk21 Day” to encourage parents and teens to talk about alcohol.

A new tool created by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the American Academy of Pediatrics is designed to help pediatricians talk to teenagers about alcohol use.

A new campaign launched by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages smokers to talk with their physician about quitting. The “Talk With Your Doctor” campaign also provides materials for physicians to help their patients give up cigarettes.

Ohio is launching a new initiative to encourage parents to speak with their children about the dangers of drug abuse. The increased use of prescription painkillers and heroin has led to a surge in drug overdoses in the state, the Associated Press reports.

Higher prices and restrictions on advertising will help prevent excessive drinking, World Health Organization says in new policy resolution (too bad it’s non-binding) ? How do you reconcile ’drug-free schools’ with medical-marijuana laws? That’s what school districts in Colorado are trying to figure out ?

Live by the sword, die by the sword: Afghanistan, long the world’s leading exporter of opium poppy, is facing a growing domestic heroin addiction problem ... The U.S. Navy has torpedoed smoking on submarines ... A drink claiming to speed up alcohol metabolism is bogus, critics say ... The tobacco tax in New York City may soon rise to $5.85 per pack ...

While it’s true that smoking has dropped overall in the United States, smoking rates are significantly higher among people with mental illness than in the general population. Because so many people with mental illness smoke, many of them will get sick from tobacco-related diseases, explains Amy Taylor of Truth Initiative.

Top headlines of the week from Friday, November 21- Thursday, December 4, 2014.