Another federal agency is after South Dakota's lethal injection drugs. Last year the Drug Enforcement Agency ordered South Dakota to hand over its supply of drugs. Now the food and drug administration has issued a similar order. But South Dakota's Attorney General has no plans to hand over the drugs.
The state and federal agencies are fighting over the state's supply of Sodium Thiopental; a quick acting barbiturate sometimes used as anesthesia and in higher doses lethal injections. South Dakota has one case of 500 pieces. It bought the drug from a manufacturer in India, after state officials realized there was a major shortage. Some say U.S. Companies stopped making the drug because of pressure from anti death penalty groups. They say since the drug was not manufactured in the U.S. it is not safe for use in executions.
Without the drug supply from India, death row murderers like Donald Moeller and Charles Rhines could possibly delay their executions. Something Jackley pointed this out in his response to the FDA.
Jackley also says the state went through proper channels to get the Sodium Thiopental and even has the FDA paperwork, signed by Prison Warden, Doug Weber, to prove it.
Source: KDLT.com, April 17, 2012
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