An interesting development in the death penalty debate, which is sure to lead to some pretty contentious litigation has been announced. The headline is that “Ohio To Switch To Single Drug Lethal Injection Execution” for future executions in the state. This is after a failed attempt to execute a prisoner in September using the traditional three-drug cocktail. Ohio would be the first to use such a method.
Ready more about this story below and see a video about the decision made by the state of Ohio to change the method of lethal injection from the three drug cocktail to a single drug method.
The United State Supreme Court had previously ruled that the three drug cocktail method was humane and that was not cruel and unusual. The three drug cocktail works by first rendering the prisoner unconscious, secondly paralyzing the prisoner, and third causing a fatal cardiac arrest. Critics argue that if the first drug is not administered correctly then death occurs very slowly, and painfully.
According to this report, regarding the Supreme Court’s ruling on the three drug lethal injection method:
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of lethal injection last year, but Ohio’s new system is substantially different from the three-drug process the court examined. In its ruling, Chief Justice John Roberts briefly addressed the prospect of using a single sedative in a dose large enough to cause death.
The one-drug method, Roberts said, ”has problems of its own, and has never been tried by a single state.”
It was concern about the three drug method that caused Ohio to switch to single drug lethal injection execution
methods. The single drug method amounts to an overdose of anesthesia and is used in veterinary applications as well.
The problem with the switch to the single drug method is that it has never been used on humans. This is going to give death-penalty opponents some ground to stand on regarding the method because the Supreme Court specifically addressed this issue in the previous ruling regarding a method that the Court has already approved.
So, the decision by Ohio to switch to single drug lethal injection execution methods is going to cause controversy. It is anticipated that the method will be in place prior to a scheduled execution on November 30. Plan on a number of suits being filed to stop the next execution. It will be interesting to see exactly how this will play out in the courts. What do you think? Is the current three drug cocktail sufficient or should states move towards a single drug execution method? Regardless of your thoughts on capital punishment the Supreme Court has declared that it it not a violation of the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment and it doesn’t look like this is going to be overturned given the makeup of the current court.