Monday, November 22, 2010

Texas will run out of lethal injection drug in March

The Austin Statesman reports that "Texas has enough lethal drugs on hand to execute 39 condemned criminals, but all doses of one key drug in its inventory expire in March, a situation that could delay executions unless additional supplies are found, state officials revealed Friday." The Attorney General rightly refused to let TDCJ keep the information secret.

The drug shortage could impede executions in Texas as early as next year. Presently there are only three executions scheduled between now and March, leaving as an open question what the state will do after that. It's possible the Legislature will need to take up the question of new execution protocols next spring when they're session. Oklahoma is looking at a replacement drug, and Ohio earlier this year switched to a single-drug lethal injection method.

RELATED: TDCJ offers bogus argument to conceal info on lethal injection drug.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks like the bosses are as lazy as the parole officers...TDCJ employs some of the dumbest people on this planet...

Hook Em Horns said...

The timing could not be better. Texas needs to STOP for awhile until we can get our justice house in order.

doran said...

Who will be the first idiot to publicly promote the exumation of "Old Sparky," or the use of a firing squad?

My guess is Rick Perry.

Anonymous said...

What if there was gonna be a hangin' and nobody could find a rope?
Charles in Tulia

Prison Doc said...

From a medical standpoint the drug issue is a false argument. There are plenty of other medications that could be safely and painlessly used to render unconsciousness prior to giving a lethal drug. Any meaningful discussion of the death penalty will have to use some reason other than the drugs being "painful".

Anonymous said...

What is the cost of these drugs as opposed to a .223 or .308 round?

Anonymous said...

They could switch to having the convict breathe nitrogen. That's supposed to be effective and painless. When I was working in process plants, we had all sorts of safety training on the dangers of nitrogen inhalation. It apparently makes your body forget to breathe, and you just pass out and die.

doran said...

Anon 7:27, you're making the wrong comparison. The bullets are probably cheaper than the drugs (aren't they always), but with a 308 or whatever, the clean-up costs go up drastically, totally off-setting any savings.

Anonymous said...

Ironic, crime labs can use expired chemicals to convict people to put on Death Row, but expired chemicals can't be used to execute people on Death Row.

Unknown said...

What's the breakdown of executions by lethal injection as opposed to other methods in Texas?

Gritsforbreakfast said...

Lucille, it's all lethal injection here. They'd have to change the law to do something else.

Hook Em Horns said...

Lucille, we Texecute so fast, we don't have time for there to be any choice in the matter. The gurney barely cools before someone else is wrestled in and strapped down!

We just hope and pray that they aren't exonerated after the drugs begin to flow!

Anonymous said...

Thats crazy how are they about to run out of lethal injection but can find crack, meth,herrion an all them other drugs.