Kentucky is switching how it executes death row inmates from a three drug lethal injection cocktail to a single drug protocol. A trio of new regulations, which were filed by the Justice Cabinet Friday, moves the state closer to resuming stalled executions.
Justice and prison system officials refused to comment about the proposed new regs which will undergo a public hearing September 25 and could then go into place 30 days later.
The move comes four years after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld, in a 7-2 ruling, Kentucky’s three drug protocol. Two death row inmates had challenge the constitutionality of the process, but the high court ruled there were safeguards built into the process to eliminate harm or pain to the inmate.
Since the drug which is a quick acting sedative has become scarce, the American Bar Association has called for a moratorium on executions in Kentucky and a state judge ordered the prison system to consider switching to one drug.
The trio of regs filed Friday give the prison system two different options for what drug to use.
Currently 33 men and one woman are on death row.
