Pennsylvania's opioid disaster declaration ends Wednesday, August 25, Governor Tom Wolf's office announced.
The declaration has been in place since January 2018 and has been renewed 15 times.
The state legislature chose not to extend it again under a new power granted in November's election that allows the General Assembly to extend or end an emergency disaster declaration without the governor's approval.
“The General Assembly has determined that a disaster declaration is no longer our most effective tool against the opioid epidemic and has declined to extend it," Wolf said in a statement. "But our fight is not over. We have an obligation to support individuals desperately in need of substance use disorder services and supports. With or without a disaster declaration, this will remain a top priority of my administration.”
Wolf said overdose deaths in Pennsylvania decreased by nearly 20 percent between 2017 and 2020, but there's been an increase over the course of the pandemic.