abusesaffiliationarrow-downarrow-leftarrow-rightarrow-upattack-typeburgerchevron-downchevron-leftchevron-rightchevron-upClock iconclosedeletedevelopment-povertydiscriminationdollardownloademailenvironmentexternal-linkfacebookfiltergenderglobegroupshealthC4067174-3DD9-4B9E-AD64-284FDAAE6338@1xinformation-outlineinformationinstagraminvestment-trade-globalisationissueslabourlanguagesShapeCombined Shapeline, chart, up, arrow, graphLinkedInlocationmap-pinminusnewsorganisationotheroverviewpluspreviewArtboard 185profilerefreshIconnewssearchsecurityPathStock downStock steadyStock uptagticktooltiptwitteruniversalityweb
Article

14 Feb 2012

Author:
Ed Pilkington, Guardian [UK]

Texas executions threatened as stocks of death penalty drug run low [USA]

Texas…is running out of supplies of lethal drugs and may be incapable of carrying out further death sentences beyond June…Texas has only sufficient quantities in its stores of pentobarbital – the middle drug of the triple lethal injection – to serve in six more executions…The dwindling supplies…underline the crisis that is sweeping the 34 states that still have the death sentence on their books. Last summer, Lundbeck, the Danish company that makes pentobarbital…placed strict restrictions on its distribution to prevent it falling into the hands of US executioners. Georgia…is also running low…The severity of America's lethal injection drought has been uncovered by the human rights group Reprieve…its investigator Maya Foa…[said] "It's getting harder and harder for them to get hold of these drugs and eventually they will be forced to recognise that medicines should not be used to execute people."