The Mount Pleasant Director of Public Safety has been named to a statewide board addressing opioid abuse.
Director of Public Safety Paul Lauria will succeed Mount Pleasant’s Police Chief Glenn Feldhauser, who had served one year of a two-year term on the board when he retired in February.
Governor Rick Snyder named Lauria to the 17 member commission last week.
Lauria said he believes the state has to treat opioid addicts with empathy.
“I truly believe that this isn’t bad decisions over and over again it’s the addiction that kicks in that is making people do this.”
And Lauria said he’ll bring a small town perspective to the board.
“It doesn’t matter where you have come from or what you have done it will get into your community it will affect your county, it has. I think I bring that small community, rural community insight.”
The Michigan Prescription Drug and Opioid Abuse Commission, created by the Governor in 2016, is responsible for creating a statewide action plan for dealing with the opioid crisis.
Lauria will serve on the commission until September of 2018.