Backing Up 5 Yards and Punting

Tennessee, as other states, has been affected by the decision of the one US drug maker that makes sodium thiopental, the anesthetic used in executions, to stop making the drug. The State, facing upcoming executions, is considering using pentobarbital, an anesthetic used when euthanizing animals. Ohio has "committed" itself to the alternative, and other neighboring states are considering it. Tennessee would not need legislative approval to make the change, since the decision is regulatory in nature, and it would only need a change of policy within the Department of Corrections. As expected, inmates scheduled for execution have joined lawsuits challenging the use of the pentobarbital and any sodium thiopental obtained from overseas. We'll see how this plays out.

See http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110206/NEWS0201/102060376/1969/NEWS/Tennessee-has-few-options-execution-drugs?odyssey=nav%7Chead