Lethal injection chemicals

Lethal injections involves a three-drug formula and typically includes a paralytic , barbiturate and potassium solution and are intended to bring about instant death.   Sodium thiopental, potassium chloride and pancuronium bromide or Pavulon are the three main drugs used in the process of lethal injection. Potassium chloride is the one that causes death in the execution process and is supposed to lead to cardiac arrest and thus the instant death immediately after injection. It causes excruciating pain if it used without anesthesia (Wong, 2006). Pancuronium Bromide works by paralyzing the voluntary muscles all through the body including the diaphragm and entire lungs. The chemical cause death through asphyxiation, it has no impact on consciousness or pain experience and has to be used together with anesthesia. Sodium thiopental is a general anesthetic substance that is normally administered when the execution procedure through lethal injection is starting and normally renders the person unconscious before injection of the two drugs earlier mentioned. When it is administered into the blood stream of condemned inmate, an amount of between 1200- 5000 mg of the chemical would lead to unconsciousness and finally death by stopping the person from breathing. Another chemical used and which cause less pain is pentobarbital that work by depressing the central nervous system and can be used in just a single dose (Wong, 2006).

The initial shot of sodium thiopental makes the person being executed to unconscious to a level that they cannot detect any pain. The chemical amplifies the function of GABA, which is a neurotransmitter whose work is to suppress brain activity, and blocks the functioning of AMPA - excitatory receptor of the brain (Pawlowski, 2015). The injection is supposed to last through the injections of the other chemicals and thereby preventing pain during the death of the person. Saline, which is a neutral substance, is applied for the purpose of pushing these drugs into the blood and therefore have a rapid effect.  For these drugs to work , effective quantities should be in the blood stream constantly in order to prevent a possibility that the person will  regain consciousness and suffering in the process. In absence of sodium thiopental, midazolam hydrochloride chemical has been used in some states, and is mostly applied as a sedative but it is normally combined with opiate if it is to be used in the execution process (Cook, Harris & Lorish,  n.d). The reason is that midazolam does not contain any painkilling or analgesic effect; hence another drug is required for this purpose. Even though it has been used recently, there have been claims of various executions done through this drug made the inmate to show signs of consciousness, gasping and this seemed to indicate that they did not attain the intended unconsciousness state. Where the person is not unconsciousness in the process of administering the electrolytes and muscle paralyser, the burning effect of the chemicals may cause them to experience suffocation (Cook, Harris & Lorish, n.d). 

 Most states in U.S applied the combination of the three drugs in their lethal injections executions until around 2009. In New York State, after the abolishment of death penalty by U.S Supreme Court in 1984, the death penalty was reinstated this time by lethal injection as an execution means. The Court of Appeals again halted capital punishment in 2007 on the basis that it is unconstitutional. In many other states the death penalty as a means of execution using lethal injection is still in use and different states have been using different chemicals (Death Penalty Information Center, n.d). The various executions that have been carried out in different states represents different protocols for lethal injection and some of the drugs used have not been applied before in the execution process  and especially those that have been provided by compounding pharmacies  with less regulations. However, a shortage of these drugs especially sodium thiopental which is the major anesthetic used has complicated capital punishment in many states across United States and this has also lead to changes in protocols for execution in some of them (Death Penalty Information Center,n.d). Pharmaceutical firms have put restrictions on supply of such chemicals citing internal dispproval on their use in lethal injection execution and this has brought about the shortage of the drugs. Foreign companies in Europe have also restricted the supply of the drugs and this shift was informed extensive international campaign driven by opponents of death penalty. The opponents of death penalty have also raised issues with the drugs quality and the possibility that the chemicals may fail to work, subjecting inmates to significant amount of pain which violates the ban on unusual and cruel punishment.

Even though protocols for lethal injection induces least pain, are relatively fast and in line with constitution if they are properly administered, a great risk that the drugs may not be administered appropriately has raised questions. Where the three-drug protocol is used, a possibility that administration of the drugs will be done in the wrong way and needless pain is always present. Untrained staffs that are supposed to undertake the task are more likely to improperly the lethal injection than a medical profession. The possibility of failure rises if a suitable vein cannot be found in a person’s arm (Elliott, 2016).  Law suits have been brought in courts by death-row inmates who have found issues with the possibility that substantial risk of an individual lingering and experiencing painful death is present in the protocol. In light of various botched executions that have been carried out with drugs and drugs sources that are questionable, serious right issues arise from the use of lethal injection. The fact that death-row prisoners have challenged the execution method and its constitutionality highlights these issues (Elliott, 2016).

The high possibility of the inmates suffering excruciating painful deaths raises the issue of prohibitions of cruel and unusual punishment in the Eight Amendment. This is especially true for midazolam, a drug that has been attributed with failure to induce a full unconscious state or consistent unconsciousness. The drug cannot always have anesthetic effect and appears to have a ceiling effect where an increase in the dose will not bring about greater impact. The possibility of inmates waking up while being executed because the drug failed to work, as has happened before, make them to feel extreme and unimaginable pain.  The kind of pain that is experienced by the individual can only be termed as being cruel and unusual method of punishment. Moreover, the use of untrained personnel in many states, having no knowledge on the properties of these chemicals supports the case of potential risks of cruel death that is associated with this particular procedure (Berger, 2008).

Reference

Wong, J. R. (2006). Lethal injection protocols: the failure of litigation to stop suffering and the case for legislative reform. Temp. J. Sci. Tech. & Envtl. L., 25, 263.

 

Pawlowski, J. (2015). New Vistas in Anesthetics, IV Induction Agents. In Essentials of Pharmacology for Anesthesia, Pain Medicine, and Critical Care (pp. 819-826). Springer New York.

 

Cook, A. L., Harris, A. L., & Lorish, L. M,( n.d). LITIGATION STRATEGIES IN OPIOID CASES.

 

Death Penalty Information Center,(n.d). U.S. SUPREME COURT REVIEW OF LETHAL-INJECTION CASES. Retrieved from: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/lethal-injection-constitutional-issue

Death Penalty Information Center,(n.d).State by State Lethal Injection. Retrieved from: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/state-lethal-injection

Berger, E. (2008). Lethal Injection and the Problem of Constitutional Remedies. YALE LAW

& POLICY REVIEW.280-283

 

Elliott, C. (2016). 8th Amendment Freedom from Cruel and Unusual Punishment: Lethal Injection Drugs. In The Forum: A Tennessee Student Legal Journal (Vol. 3, No. 1, p. 2).