Arkansas, Tennessee have Lethal Injection Drug Taken by the DEA

With an execution coming up in about two months, Tennessee may need to change its cocktail of lethal drugs. Tennessee’s supply of the sedative sodium thiopental was taken by the DEA in March. Arkansas joined the list of states to have the drug seized last week.

After the drug’s only US manufacturer stopped production, Tennessee bought its supply through a vendor who obtained it from overseas. The DEA seized the foreign-made drug because of improper import procedure.

Several states including Georgia that have had the drug taken have used a different sedative called pentobarbital for executions. Dorinda Carter from the Tennessee Department of Corrections says they haven’t made a decision about using an alternate drug yet.

“We understand that the supplier of that drug has stopped manufacturing it, so at this moment the commissioner has been following developments and is reviewing what our next step will be. But, no decision has been made.”

The Commissioner’s choice will likely affect Tennessee’s next execution, which is scheduled for September 27. However, the inmate in that case has not exhausted all appeals so it is unlikely a decision will be reached that soon.