Oklahoma City (AP) — Oklahoma used the wrong drug label during at least three recent executions, prison officials said on Friday in a federal trial on whether the state’s three-drug lethal injection law was unconstitutional. Said during the testimony in.
Despite the improper label, Correction Director Scott Crow and his Chief Operating Officer Justin Farris testified that they were confident that the appropriate drugs were used during their respective executions. ..
“I’m 100% sure that all executions used the right drugs,” Crow told US District Judge Stephen Friott.
According to Farris, the label says “rocuronium bromide” instead of “vecuronium bromide.” This is a paralytic drug and is the second of three drugs used in the Oklahoma method. Faris said he believes the “rocuronium bromide” label was used in training exercises and was never replaced.
Both drugs are similar drugs, and the Oklahoma execution protocol allows the use of rocuronium bromide, but the protocol requires prison personnel to be notified if any drug is substituted. I have.
After scrutinizing the issue of Oklahoma’s execution protocol and holding numerous hearings over the years, Friott seemed surprised that such confusion could occur.
“In the end, we’ve experienced … surely it bordered something you couldn’t think of?” Friott asked Crow.
“I’m clever.” That’s right, “Crow replied.
Crow said the department is investigating why the wrong label was used and will publish a report soon.
With a prisoner The moment after being led to the death room Executioners were suspended in September 2015 after prison officials learned that the wrong drug had been delivered for lethal injection.Later, the same wrong medicine Executing another prisoner in January That year. It led to a moratorium of almost seven years on the state’s death penalty.
Oklahoma after a series of long proceedings Lethal injection resumed in October Since then, it has been held three more times. All 28 convict on death row prisoners who have challenged the state’s three-drug law as unconstitutional have run out of their complaints, and if Friott decides that Oklahoma’s current protocol is constitutional, executions are scheduled. There is a high possibility that it is.
In this week’s five-day testimony, Friot said whether the sedative midazolam, the first drug used in the Oklahoma protocol, is appropriate to prevent inmates from feeling pain for the rest of the time. We heard from many experts in pharmacology and anesthesiology who provided different opinions about. procedure.
The final day of testimony is scheduled for Monday.