Ohio Drops Two-Drug Lethal Injection

Ohio said it will end the practice of using a two-drug combination for lethal injections, the state’s Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections said Thursday. The state said it would revise the two-drug cocktail of the painkiller hydromorphone and the sedative midazolam and begin adding thiopental sodium and pentobarbital, according to department spokeswoman JoEllen Smith. The news came just after Ohio announced that its supply of midazolam would expire on April 1. The state came under fire for using the combination of midazolam and hydromorphone in last year’s execution of Dennis McGuire, who was convicted of raping and killing a pregnant woman. McGuire reportedly seized for more than half of the 25-minute execution, ultimately leading to a moratorium on executions in Ohio. The state also postponed an execution scheduled for February until it is able to secure a supply of the replacement drug.