Nevada no longer able to acquire key drug used in lethal injections

A pharmaceutical company's decision to stop manufacturing one of the drugs used to kill death row inmates has left Nevada without a plan should any executions be ordered in the near future.

In response, Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto joined 11 other attorney generals recently in asking U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder for help in either finding new sources for sodium thiopental or making the federal government's sources available to the states. Hospira Inc., maker of sodium thiopental, one of three drugs used during the lethal injection process, decided recently to end all attempts to manufacture the drug, said Dan Rosenberg, spokesman for the Lake Forest, Ill., company.

The company tried to move production of the drug to Italy, but last month, Italian authorities said they were concerned about it being used for executions, the company said in a statement. Since Hospira could not control what was done with the drug once sold, they decided to abandon production plans, the statement said.

Cardinal Health, the Dublin, Ohio-based company that supplied the Nevada Department of Corrections with sodium thiopental in the past, said it does not have any of the drug left in its inventory and will no longer distribute the product, according to spokesman Troy Kirkpatrick.

The Department of Corrections would need 5 grams of the drug to execute a prisoner, according to its lethal injection protocol, but it "does not maintain a supply of the drug," so none is available, said Kevin Ingram, department spokesman.

"The Nevada Department of Corrections has been working with the office of the attorney general in revising the Execution Manual," Ingram said. "Due to the limited supply of the execution drug used in the past, the drug protocol is being reviewed as well.

"No final decisions have been made by the Office of the Attorney general at this time."

In the letter to Holder, the 12 attorney generals wrote that since lethal injection is the "prescribed method of execution," they need help in the "procurement of one of the prescribed medications used in the lethal injection protocols."

Without a source, "many jurisdictions shortly will be unable to perform executions in cases where appeals have been exhausted and governors have signed death warrants," the letter said.

At present, 82 inmates are housed at Ely State Prison's death row, but the attorney general's office, the department of corrections and the federal public defender's office all agree that no executions are imminent.

"As far as I know, there is no one who is in line for execution in the immediate future," said death penalty expert Michael Pescetta, an assistant federal public defender. "I don't see anyone who is anywhere near going unless someone takes it in his head and goes crazy" and ends their appeals.

Most of the people executed in Nevada have done just that: dropped their appeals and become "volunteers." Only one of the 11 people executed since 1976 was put to death against his will.

According to Nevada's execution protocol, an inmate is 1st given 5 grams of sodium thiopental, which is a short-acting barbiturate; followed by 20 milligrams of Pavulon, which relaxes the muscles; and potassium chloride, to stop the heart.

The most recent man to be executed in Nevada was Daryl Mack, convicted of murdering 2 women. He ended his appeals and was given a lethal injection on April 26, 2006.

Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said states facing a shortage or a lack of sodium thiopental will likely move to other anesthetics, such as pentobarbital.

Oklahoma has executed an inmate using that drug, and Ohio plans to, he said.

"If they go smoothly, other states may go that direction," he said. "But it could result in court battles, there are potential differences with the drugs."

Source: Reno Gazette-Journal, Feb. 7, 2011

_________________________

Use the tags below or the search engine at the top of this page to find updates, older or related articles on this Website.

Comments

Death penalty options expanded in proposed Arizona bills

PHOENIX — Arizona lawmakers advanced proposals on Feb. 19, 2026, that would expand execution options for death row inmates to include firing squads and lethal gas, amid ongoing challenges with lethal injection and concerns over carrying out capital sentences. The measures, sponsored by Sen. Kevin Payne, R-Peoria, cleared a Senate committee with a party-line vote. They aim to give condemned inmates more choices while mandating firing squad executions for those convicted of murdering law enforcement officers. Senate Concurrent Resolution 1049 proposes a constitutional amendment that Arizona voters would decide in November. If approved, it would allow defendants sentenced to death to select from three methods: firing squad, lethal injection (intravenous administration of lethal substances) or lethal gas. Lethal injection would remain the default if no choice is made.

Japan | High court rejects retrial appeal over 1992 Fukuoka child murder

The Fukuoka High Court rejected an appeal on Monday for a retrial for the 1992 murder of two 7-year-old girls in the city of Iizuka in Fukuoka Prefecture, for which a death row convict was executed. The defense plans to file a special appeal with the Supreme Court against the decision. In what's known as the Iizuka incident, despite the assertion of his innocence, Michitoshi Kuma's death sentence became final in 2006 based on DNA test results and eyewitness accounts. He was executed at the age of 70 in 2008. The defendant's side submitted in the second round of its retrial request a woman's testimony as new evidence.

Sudanese Courts Sentence 2 Women to Death by Stoning for Adultery Despite International Obligations

Two Sudanese women have been sentenced to death by stoning in separate cases in Sudan, raising serious concerns about Sudan’s compliance with its international human rights obligations, particularly following its ratification of the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT).

Florida | Governor DeSantis signs death warrant in 2008 murder case

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a death warrant for Michael L. King, setting an execution date of March 17, 2026, at 6 p.m. King was convicted and sentenced to death for the 2008 kidnapping, sexual battery and murder of Denise Amber Lee, a 21-year-old North Port mother. On January 17, 2008, Michael Lee King abducted 21-year-old Denise Amber Lee from her North Port home by forcing her into his green Chevrolet Camaro. He drove her around while she was bound, including to his cousin's house to borrow tools like a shovel. King took her to his home, where he sexually battered her, then placed her in the backseat of his car. Later that evening, he drove to a remote area, shot her in the face, and buried her nude body in a shallow grave. Her remains were discovered two days later. During the crime, multiple 9-1-1 calls were made, but communication breakdowns between emergency dispatch centers delayed the response. The case drew national attention and prompted w...

India | POCSO Court awards death penalty to UP couple for sexual exploitation of 33 children

A special court in Uttar Pradesh’s Banda on Friday sentenced a former Junior Engineer (JE) of the Irrigation Department and his wife to death for the sexual exploitation of 33 minor boys — some as young as three — over a decade, officials said. The POCSO court termed the crimes as “rarest of rare” and held Ram Bhawan and his wife Durgawati guilty of systematically abusing children between 2010 and 2020 and producing child sexual abuse material. Convicting the duo under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the court sentenced them to death for offences including aggravated penetrative sexual assault, using a child for pornographic purposes, storage of pornographic material involving children, and abetment and criminal conspiracy, they said.

Iran | Man Hanged for Murder After Plaintiff Changed Their Mind at Last Minute

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 19 February 2026: Reza Karami, a man on death row for murder, was executed in Doroud Prison. The plaintiffs in the case had agreed to accept diya (blood money) in lieu of execution but changed their minds at the last minute. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Doroud Prison, Lorestan province, on 14 February 2026. His identity has been established as 30-year-old Reza Karami who was arrested around three years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court.

Oklahoma Ends Indefinite Death Row Solitary Confinement

“These men have not been able to touch grass and feel the warmth of the sun for the first time in ten years.” Every year, thousands of prisoners in the U.S. are placed in solitary confinement, where they endure isolation, abuse, and mental suffering . This practice might soon become rarer for some inmates in Oklahoma, thanks to the efforts of activists in the state. Earlier this month, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oklahoma announced that the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester had ended the practice of indefinite solitary confinement for "the vast majority" of death row prisoners.

Louisiana Supreme Court Unanimously Sides with Two Death-Sentenced Prisoners Targeted with Premature Execution Warrants

When Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill took office in January 2024, they moved aggressively to restart executions in the state. Gov. Landry signed bills that authorized nitrogen suffocation and electrocution as execution methods, increased his own power over the state capital defense system, and limited post-conviction appeals , while AG Murrill moved to take over capital appeal challenges from local district attorneys. In March 2025, the state conducted its first execution in 15 years.

Singapore executes 33-year-old Malaysian drug trafficker

Lingkesvaran was sentenced to death in 2018. A Malaysian man convicted of trafficking a significant quantity of heroin was executed in Singapore on Feb. 11, 2026, according to an official statement issued by the Singapore authorities. Lingkesvaran Rajendaren, 33, had been found guilty of trafficking not less than 52.77 grammes of diamorphine, also known as pure heroin. Singapore law mandates the death penalty for cases involving more than 15 grams of the drug. The authorities said the amount involved was enough to sustain the addiction of approximately 630 abusers for a week, highlighting the harm caused by large-scale drug trafficking.

Alabama provides the greatest arguments against the death penalty

I have seen three executions. I hope I never see a fourth. Capital punishment is violence. But the state does all it can to conceal that fact. The viewing areas outside the death chamber are still and silent. Bright light floods the small room where people die. The warden pronouncing the sentence speaks in clipped, measured tones, saying no more than needed. You’re expected to view the act as a bloodless execution of justice.

Death Penalty News

Search This Blog