In New Hampshire, in the United States, increasing numbers of transplantation organs are harvested from individuals who have died from an overdose.
According to the New England donor service, in 2016, 92 of organ donors died from an overdose. In 5 years, the number of organ donors who died from an overdose has risen from 4% to 27%. In New Hampshire, approximately one-third of donors are the victims of a fatal drug overdose.
The Managing Director of the New England Donor Service, Alexandra Glazier, explained that the risk of dying whilst on the organ waiting list is “higher than the risk of a donor-transmitted disease“. “No medical professionals see the opioid epidemic as positive,” but the manager believes that the mission of her organisation is to save lives by finding organs available for transplantation.
Washington Times (19/06/2017)