HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf signed five new laws Wednesday to address the state’s opioid addiction and abuse problem, including limits on how much can be prescribed in an emergency room or issued to children.

The Democratic governor signed the elements of a legislative package that include a mandate that doctors check the state’s prescription drug monitoring database when they prescribe opioids, not just for first-time patients.

Other measures establish safe opioid prescribing training in medical schools and are intended to improve safe disposal of unwanted pharmaceuticals.

Wolf said repeatedly there was more work to be done to solve what he called a scourge and a plague.

“This is just a start, let’s keep working on it,” said Wolf, who said he supports a shift away from stigmatizing drug addiction and toward treating it as a disease.

The state also is allowing all law enforcement stations, hospitals, nursing homes and licensed pharmacies to become drop-off sites for expired or unneeded medication.