Ohio plans January execution using new 3-drug combination
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio said it plans to resume executions in January with a new three-drug combination after an unofficial moratorium dating to early 2014 and blamed on shortages of lethal drugs. It said it will return to an approach it previously used to execute dozens of inmates.
The state will use the drugs midazolam, which puts the inmate to sleep; rocuronium bromide, which paralyzes the inmate; and potassium chloride, which stops the heart, the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction announced Monday in a development first reported by The Associated Press.
The drugs aren’t compounded and are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, state Assistant Attorney General Thomas Madden said at a federal court hearing.
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the use of such a combination in a ruling last year regarding Oklahoma’s execution protocols.