Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) and Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) today announced the expansion of life-saving medication for individuals with opioid and alcohol use disorder as part of the 2025-26 state budget signed into law last week by Governor Josh Shapiro.
Act 45 of 2025, signed as part of the FY 2025-26 budget, temporarily expands access to additional types of FDA-approved Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for substance use disorders that can be funded through PCCD’s MAT in County Jails Grant Program.
Allowing Pennsylvanians the ability to access a variety of MAT options within the criminal justice system provides them with more flexibility to find a treatment program that best fits their needs and can help ensure they are successful on their journey to recovery,” said PCCD Executive Director Kirsten Kenyon. “When individuals with substance use disorder get the treatment and support they need, people thrive and our communities are safer.”
In addition to continued support for non-narcotic medications, like naltrexone, the new law authorizes one-time expansion of previously appropriated and uncommitted Act 80 grant funds to support additional evidence-based medications, like buprenorphine and methadone, to treat incarcerated individuals with substance use disorders, including opioid use and alcohol use disorder.
These forms of MAT, coupled with evidence-based supports like cognitive behavioral therapy, have been proven to reduce overdose deaths, increase treatment retention, and support long-term recovery.
Research shows that almost two-thirds of people currently incarcerated in the U.S. have a substance use disorder. Additionally, fewer than half of men who were imprisoned in a jail that offered drug treatment were rearrested or reincarcerated, compared with more than 62 percent of men released from the jail that didn’t offer medications for opioid use disorders.
This expansion will not only save lives, but it will also strengthen families, communities, and our collective public health by meeting people where they are, reducing recurrences of substance use and recidivism rates,” said DDAP Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones. “Covering all FDA-approved medications aligns with scientific evidence, best medical practices, and the ethical responsibility to provide the most effective care to all who need it.”
Act 80 of 2015 established the Nonnarcotic Medication Assisted Substance Abuse Treatment Pilot Program to increase opportunities for counties to provide naltrexone, also known as Vivitrol. In the coming weeks, PCCD expects to open a new solicitation through the MAT in County Jails Grant Program with more than $7.7 million in uncommitted Act 80 funding which will provide the new flexibility related to all types of FDA-approved MAT, and newly appropriated $1.75 million in FY 2025-26 Act 80 funds for nonnarcotic MAT.
In addition to Act 80 funds, PCCD administers other funding streams that support county jail-based MAT programming, including the federal Residential Substance Abuse Treatment program funding and State Opioid Response (SOR) funds provided by DDAP.
In September, PCCD and DDAP announced the availability of $12 million in federal SOR funds to expand access to evidence-based diversion, treatment, and recovery services for individuals with SUDs involved in Pennsylvania’s justice system. Awards under this program will be announced next month after the Commission’s December 10, 2025 meeting.
Learn more about the Shapiro-Davis Administration’s substance use disorder initiatives and resources.