"Heroin as an execution drug?"

The title of this post is the headline of this notable Columbus Dispatch article discussing the legislative conversation starting to emerge in the wake of the recent decision by Ohio Gov Kasich to extend the state's de facto moratorium on executions due the the continuing difficulty securing lethal injection drugs (noted here).  Here are excerpts:

As Ohio continues to struggle to find the drugs needed to carry out executions of death row inmates, the president of the Ohio Senate says it may be time to find other methods.  “If we can’t get the drugs that our protocol calls for, either we need to change our protocols, or we need to think about other solutions,” said Senate President Keith Faber, R-Celina.

“There are a lot of people out there talking about other solutions.  I’ve heard everything from using heroin, to using nitrogen, to going back to the electric chair.  That’s a debate we probably need to have.”

The state's has not executed an inmate since Jan. 16, 2014, when Dennis McGuire struggled and gasped for several minutes before succumbing to a combination of drugs being used for the first time anywhere in the U.S. The state last week canceled all executions for 2016 and there are now 24 inmates with executions scheduled into 2018.

A law that Gov. John Kasich signed in December allowing prison officials to secretly buy lethal-injection drugs from compounding pharmacies has not worked in getting Ohio the necessary drug mixture. Pharmacies have generally been unwilling to participate in a process that leads to little in sales but a potential for harsh blowback from the public if they are discovered.

The federal government has thus far blocked Ohio’s efforts to import the drugs from overseas, though the state continues to seek ways to do that.  Asked if the state would bring back the electric chair known as “Old Sparky,” Faber said, “there are options out there.”

A few prior related posts:

• "FDA warns Ohio not to illegally import execution drugs" 
• Ohio tells FDA it can be legal to import sodium thiopental to carry out death sentences
• In defense of Ohio officials trying to figure out how to get execution drugs legally
• Ohio Gov Kasich extends de facto execution moratorium into 2017