Previously, all 33 states allowing the death penalty used an identical three-drug process for executions: sodium thiopental was administered to put the inmate to sleep, followed by two drugs to stop the heart and lungs. But a federal judge barred the use of sodium thiopental in March after ruling that it was illegally imported.
In response to the ruling, states have turned to pentobarbital as a replacement for sodium thiopental. Pentobarbital has been used in approximately 50 executions over the past two years, said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.
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