This Primer, published by the Network for Public Health Law on November 17, 2017, and updated on August 1, 2018, on Opioid-related Public Health Emergencies provides key information and visual snapshots of federal, state, tribal, and local emergency declarations in response to the opioid crisis across the U.S. 

High rates of morbidity and mortality among Americans related to opioid use constitute a public health epidemic, leading multiple jurisdictions to declare formal states of emergency or public health emergency. Declaring a state of emergency grants states and localities additional resources to address the epidemic immediately. The Fact Sheet, developed by the Network for Public Health Law and released July 20, 2017, provides a brief summary of the emergency declarations in six states.