Michael Jackson died from overuse of a popular pain killer.
Did Dr. Conrad Murray provide a way for the state of Missouri to save money? The same drug that caused the death of pop star Michael Jackson is now the drug of choice for executions in Missouri, causing a stir among critics who question how the state can guarantee a drug untested for lethal injection.
In mid-May, the Missouri Department of Corrections announced they’re switching from its long-standing three-drug cocktail method to use of a single drug, propofol. This move makes Missouri the first state ever to use propofol as an execution drug.
“This is very, very concerning with a drug that we don’t know, and seeing the problems of the one-drug method,” said Kathleen Holmes of Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.
Until recently, the 33 states with the death penalty used a virtually identical three-drug process: Sodium thiopental was administered to put the inmate to sleep, then two other drugs stopped the heart and lungs. But makers of sodium thiopental have stopped selling it for use in executions. Supplies mostly ran out or expired, forcing states to consider alternatives.
It isn’t clear when propofol would get its first use in an execution. None are scheduled in Missouri despite Attorney General Chris Koster’s request last week that the Missouri Supreme Court set execution dates for up to 19 condemned men whose appeals have run out. –yvette caslin
