Kenneth Smith, 58, is facing execution by an untested method that has never before been used in capital punishment in the US. It’s a technique that has been rejected on ethical grounds by veterinarians for the euthanasia of most animals other than pigs: death by nitrogen gas.

  • sanguine_artichoke@midwest.social
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    10 months ago

    A massive overdose on sedatives and opiates would generally work great. American authorities prefer to use painful injections though since they’re sadistic.

    • bermuda@beehaw.org
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      10 months ago

      Well that and a large majority of medical corporations refuse to provide their drugs for this purpose. That was one of the main reasons the “lethal injection cocktail” kept changing, because companies found out their drugs were in it and took legal action.

      • jarfil@beehaw.org
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        10 months ago

        What about drug cartels? They’re happy to provide fentanyl overdose amounts to unsuspecting end users, could they provide the same to jails? It’s apparently also pretty cheap, and no injections needed.

    • MrCookieRespect@reddthat.com
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      10 months ago

      All medical companys refuse to supply the US government for such things, and if they would use the stuff meant for other purposes for this shit they wouldn’t get any medication from anyone anymore. Especially not from European companies as they are legally prohibited from supplying stuff for executions.

      • sanguine_artichoke@midwest.social
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        10 months ago

        I guess I’d heard of that. What is the objection of American pharma companies? It must be liability vs. ethics as they’re totally glad to maim and kill people daily as long as it’s profitable.

        • MrCookieRespect@reddthat.com
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          10 months ago

          They don’t have the patents for the stuff, European companies hold those parents for the most part… So either don’t supply the prisons with the stuff or get the license taken away completely…