State of Texas Has Run Out of Lethal Injection Drugs

Will only be able to use one drug instead of three.

The state of Texas is very active when it comes to executions, but this latest news may slow things down a bit.

Instead of using a three drug cocktail in its lethal injections, the state will now have to use just one because of a drug shortage.

AJC reports:

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said it will begin using a single dose of the sedative pentobarbital to carry out death sentences. It had been using that drug in combination with two others, but its supply of one of the other drugs expired.

Texas began using pentobarbital last year after another drug, sodium thiopental, became unavailable when its European supplier bowed to pressure from death penalty opponents and stopped making it. But pentobarbital is now in short supply after its Danish manufacturer said it would try to prevent its use in executions.

The shortage is causing concerns because without the other two drugs, inmates could suffer from cruel and unusual punishment.

But execution supporters, don't fret. Texas says they have doses of pentobarbital to carry out at least 23 executions this year, so it will still be business as usual.

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