Posted on 05/02/2012 6:47:19 PM PDT by Brandonmark
Oklahoma, which executes more prisoners per capita than any other state, said on Wednesday it has only one remaining dose of pentobarbital, a key drug used to kill condemned prisoners.
One reason the state is running out is because of a ban on the sale of drugs for such purposes by the European Union, which opposes the death penalty.
Oklahoma has a single vial of pentobarbital left after the execution on Tuesday night of 57-year-old Michael B. Selsor, prison spokesman Jerry Massie said.
Oklahoma is the first state to publicly admit it has nearly exhausted supplies of the drug but other states may follow because of the EU clamp down, said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, D.C.
Pentobarbital is a sedative that is the first of a three-drug cocktail administered by Oklahoma. It is followed by vecuronium bromide, which stops breathing, and potassium chloride, which stops the heart.
Oklahoma was the first state in the country to use pentobarbital in 2010 after a shortage of another anesthetic, sodium thiopental, caused penal officials in death penalty states to look for an alternative.
Eleven other states also use it. Arizona and Ohio use a single injection of pentobarbital for executions while nine states use the multi-drug protocol, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
Lundbeck Inc, the only manufacturer of pentobarbital, is located in Denmark and forbids its U.S.-based wholesalers from selling the drug for lethal injections, while the European Union forbids its member countries from exporting drugs for executions.
Oklahoma could resort to another anesthetic never used before in executions, Massie said, or it could try to tap existing supplies of pentobarbital.
A third option, he said, would entail going back to sodium thiopental.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Rope is cheap.
Gee, couldn’t there be any other drug that would work?
Why not Cyanide? Load’em up on enough Oxy/benzos, or Heroine to kill an elephant. A bullet to the head?
We figured out the whole death thing a long time ago, so it isn’t difficult.
Various other means come to mind. Not a really clever bunch if OK’s officials are stumped by this situation.
/johnny
Here’s an opportunity for a real gutsy decision by Obama.
I still think they should use LSD first, kinda
get them in the mood for when the executioners
come in wearing lifelike masks of their victim.
Either that or drano first.
I know a lot of OK cowboys and they ALL have ropes.
Why rely on expensive, scarce and complex chemical compounds when a single abundant element (i.e. lead) dispatches the vermin cheaply, quickly and painlessly?

"Why don't you shoot him now? I mean, come on, I'll go get a gun. We'll shoot 'im together. It'll be fun. BANG! Dead. Done."
Should I be ashamed to say I like how you think?
The constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. It does not guarantee a painless execution.
Electric Chair. We still have our old one in Georgia. Wipe off the dust and rewire it with new wires and we’re gtg.
Rope is cheap.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
So is a bullet. We could do a “Saddam” and send the killer’s family a bill for the lead slug.
No, you should not.
Lead poisoning has been found effective.
And don't dampen the sponge. (ever see The Green Mile?)

Might I recommend high-velocity lead poisoning?
Really, the acid, good pure stuff, maybe a fog machine,
then they come in and start laughing
maniacally and poking him with pitch forks.
Then it’s off to the other world amids laughter
and derision. Give him something to think about
on the way.
Execute them...the same way they killed their victims.
Interesting concept....execution with a by-product.
Ah, yes...the gratuitous “Pulp Fiction” reference. Well played.
I don’t see why we can’t just do it like they do to cows at a slaughter house. Pneumatic rod to the skull. Instant unconsciousness followed a few seconds later by brain death. No pain what so ever.
Secobarbital is just as potent and has just about the same effects, further its marketed by an American outfit.
I can’t see where this is such an insurmountable problem.
It’s tough because the people we’ve tasked with carrying this out are squeamish, and don’t really want to come up with alternatives.

If the execution is a success the executed won’t complain.
Why not use bleach?
You’d think there was some kind of horse tranquillizer
that would work just as well.
Maybe a shot of Meth just to get that ole heart beating
good, make every thing crystal clear.
What’s wrong with Old Sparky? I’m sure they could use 100% “green” sources of power to make the environmentalists happy.
In NH, if it's not possible to use lethal injection, they go to the backup method: Hanging.
At this wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_the_United_States
It says OK uses lethal injection primarily but it does have secondary methods.
The other methods according to this wiki are as follows.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_Oklahoma
“However if lethal injection is to ever be outlawed the state has two secondary options outlined in its state constitution. The first being Electrocution by electric chair which was used before the national moratorium began in 1967, with shooting by firing squad as the second option should both lethal injection and electrocution be outlawed.”
It hasn't replaced "They have 'Live Free or Die' as the State Motto" as my number one reason for liking New Hampshire. It's not even the number two reason (a redhead from Dartmouth I used to date) - but the 'hanging as a backup' idea is a clear number three.
I like that.
I think you are a bit optimistic with the time though. 30 to 60 seconds? I can hold my breath for 90+ seconds ...or at least I could when I was in my 20s.

WTF never heard of a .45acp? Buck a round at most. Jesus.
Didn’t you hear? The DHS is buying up all the ammo...lol
LOL! Guess my initial reaction wasn't that farfetched afterall!
Wouldn’t some “h” from the streets of Oklahoma City do the trick?
I’ve got some lead I’d be willing to donate
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