State by State Lethal Injection
OVERVIEW
Almost all the states use a 3-drug combination for lethal injections: an anesthetic (either pentobarbital or sodium thiopental), pancuronium bromide (a paralytic agent, also called Pavulon), and potassium chloride (stops the heart and causes death). Pentobarbital in injectable form may only be available from Lundbeck Inc., a Danish company that has said it opposes the drug's use in executions (NY Times, 1/22/11; AP 1/26/11). The form of pentobarbital used in executions is also used for assisted suicides in Oregon and Washington.
Three states have used a single-drug method for executions--a lethal dose of an anesthetic (Arizona, Ohio, Washington). Three other states allow for one-drug executions in their lethal injection protocols, but have not carried out a one-drug execution (Idaho, Missouri, South Dakota).
In federal executions, the method is determined by the state in which the sentencing took place. All 3 of the federal executions in the modern era have been by lethal injection carried out in a federal facility in Indiana. Apparently the same 3-drug combination is used, though prison officials did not reveal the exact ingredients. (See Washington Post, Dec. 5, 2000). The U.S. Military has not carried out any executions since reinstatement. It plans to use lethal injection.
Twelve states have used pentobarbital in executions: Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia.
Three additional states plan to use pentobarbital: Louisiana, Montana, South Dakota.
One state (Missouri) plans to use propofol.
LETHAL INJECTION "FIRSTS"
First state to use lethal injection: Texas, December 7, 1982
First state to use one-drug method: Ohio, December 8, 2009
First state to use pentobarbital in three-drug protocol: Oklahoma, December 16, 2010
First state to use pentobarbital in one-drug protocol: Ohio, March 10, 2011
| State-by-State Lethal Injection Information | ||
| State | Used Pentobarbital in Executions? | Latest Information |
| Alabama | Yes | sodium thiopental seized by DEA in March 2011 (ACLU of Northern CA, 5/17/11) began using pentobarbital in three-drug protocol on May 19, 2011 (Reuters, 5/19/11) |
| Arizona* | Yes | began using pentobarbital in three-drug protocol on May 25, 2011 (AP, 5/25/11) switched to one-drug protocol (pentobarbital) on February 29, 2012 (AP, 2/29/12) |
| Arkansas* | No | turned over sodium thiopental to DEA in July 2011 (AP, 7/21/11) obtained unspecified amount of sodium thiopental from British company (AP, 1/21/11) executions on hold due to lethal injection challenge in courts |
| California* | No | obtained sodium thiopental from British company, enough for 86 executions (AP, 1/21/11) executions on hold due to lethal injection challenge in courts; the governor has recommended that the Dept. of Corrections consider changing to a 1-drug protocol |
| Colorado | No | executions on hold due to lethal injection challenge in courts |
| Connecticut | No | uses three-drug protocol; death penalty abolished, but 11 inmates remain on death row |
| Delaware | Yes | began using pentobarbital in three-drug protocol on July 29, 2011 (delawareonline.com, 7/29/11) |
| Florida | Yes | began using pentobarbital in three-drug protocol on September 28, 2011 (Washington Post, 9/29/11) |
| Georgia* | Yes | began using pentobarbital in three-drug protocol on June 23, 2011 (Reuters, 6/23/11) used foreign-bought sodium thiopental in 2 executions before sodium thiopental was seized by DEA in March 2011 (ACLU of Northern CA, 5/17/11) |
| Idaho | Yes | began using pentobarbital in three-drug protocol on November 18, 2011 will allow option of one-drug method (KBOI News, 2/7/12) |
| Indiana | No | uses three-drug protocol |
| Kansas | No | statute does not specify drugs |
| Kentucky | No | sodium thiopental was seized by DEA in April 2011 (ACLU of Northern CA, 5/17/11); a state judge has ordered the prison system to consider using a 1-drug protocol. |
| Louisiana | No | switch to pentobarbital anticipated (The Advocate, 4/10/11) |
| Maryland | No | executions on hold until lethal injection procedures are enacted |
| Mississippi | Yes | began using pentobarbital in executions on May 10, 2011 (AFP, 5/10/11) |
| Missouri | No | announced plans to switch to one-drug protocol using 2 grams of propofol (Missouri Department of Corrections, 5/15/12) |
| Montana | No | modified protocol to allow for use of pentobarbital (KXLH.com, 8/15/11) |
| Nebraska* | No | obtained sodium thiopental from Indian company, enough for 166 executions (Lincoln Journal Star, 1/21/11 and 1/27/11) Carey Moore execution stayed to allow time for legal challenge of imported sodium thiopental (Lincoln Journal Star, 5/25/11) obtained new supply (485 grams, or enough for about 100 executions) of sodium thiopental from Swiss company (AP, 11/3/11) Naari AG, the Swiss company that produced Nebraska's supply, asked Nebraska to return it. Naari gave the drug to an Indian man "who said he wanted to use it and eventually sell it as an anesthetic in Zambia," and did not intend it to be used in executions. (CBS News, 11/30/11) |
| Nevada | No | executions on hold due to lethal injection challenge in courts |
| New Hampshire | No | statute does not specify drugs |
| New Mexico | No | abolished death penalty in 2009, two inmates remain on death row and may face execution by lethal injection |
| North Carolina | No | executions on hold due to lethal injection challenge in courts |
| Ohio | Yes | began using pentobarbital in one-drug protocol on March 10, 2011 (Washington Post, 3/11/11); state has a backup plan of using a 2-drug injection into the muscle of an inmate if a vein cannot be found. |
| Oklahoma | Yes | began using pentobarbital in three-drug protocol on December 16, 2010 (CBS News, 12/17/10) |
| Oregon | No | reselling execution drugs through reverse wholesaler after Gary Haugen execution was cancelled (The Oregonian, 1/3/12) |
| Pennsylvania | No | statute does not specify drugs |
| South Carolina* | Yes | sodium thiopental was seized by DEA in April 2011 (ACLU of Northern CA, 5/17/11) began using pentobarbital in three-drug protocol on May 6, 2011 (Reuters, 5/6/11) |
| South Dakota* | No | Department of Corrections officially altered lethal injection procedures to allow for a one-, two- or three-drug execution process. Changes to procedure will allow either sodium thiopental or pentobarbital to be used in one-drug protocol, or as initial drug in other protocols. State has obtained a supply of pentobarbital. (Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 10/22/11) |
| Tennessee* | No | sodium thiopental was seized by DEA in March 2011 (ACLU of Northern CA, 5/17/11) |
| Texas | Yes | began using pentobarbital in three-drug protocol on May 3, 2011 (Wall Street Journal, 5/4/11) |
| Utah | No | uses three-drug protocol |
| Virginia | Yes | began using pentobarbital in three-drug protocol on August 18, 2011 (Washington Post, 8/18/11) |
| Washington | No | choice of 1- or 3-drug protocol |
| Wyoming | No | uses three-drug protocol |
* marks states that received letters in April 2012 from the FDA requesting that they turn over their foreign-sourced lethal injection drugs, in accordance with the U.S. District Court ruling in Beaty v. FDA (Lincoln Journal Star, 4/18/12)
Related Links:
General Lethal Injection Information
For drugs used in individual executions, see Executions in 2011 and Executions in 2012
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