Hanover Mall Exhibit Shows 'Hidden' Opioid Use Warning Signs

HANOVER (CBS) -- Parents on the South Shore have a new tool in the battle against opioid addiction.

"Hidden In Plain Sight" is a unique exhibit inside the Hanover Mall designed to educate moms and dads about the warning signs of teen substance abuse.

The mall donated the retail space to South Shore Hospital, which has set up a mock bedroom of a young person.

"What we're trying to do with this bedroom is create a moving display that we use as an educational tool to raise awareness for parents," said Barbara Green, the medical director at the hospital's Youth Health Connection.

Parents who visit the exhibit will be accompanied by specially trained guides who will point out some of the drug use warning signs that could be in plain view in their teenager's bedroom.

"What we hope by a demonstration such as we've got here is that we can alert parents to things that might be happening right under their own eyes," Hanover Police Chief Walter Sweeney said. "They may look very innocuous, but may be the first signs that there may be a problem with one of their children."

Watch: Hanover Police Chief Explains One Of The Warning Signs

The state saw 1,256 opioid overdose deaths in 2014, and 312 in the first three months of 2015, organizers say.

The exhibit is only open during select times over the next month. Click here for the full schedule.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports: 

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• Carl Stevens