pentobarbital

The Indiana Capital Chronicle had requested information from state officials about the drug expected to be used in at least one upcoming scheduled execution.

The Indiana Supreme Court set a Dec. 18 execution date for a Joseph Corcoran, who was convicted in a 1997 quadruple homicide.

The drug has been used by the feds and in other states, but officials are hushed about its origins, cost and standards for administration.

The proposed execution of Joseph Corcoran, convicted in four murders in 1998, would be the first state execution in Indiana in 15 years. The state plans to use a controversial drug to carry it out.

In a press release announcing their request, Gov. Eric Holcomb and Attorney General Todd Rokita say they reacquired pentobarbital, the drug used in executions.

In a letter sent to two Connecticut lawmakers last month and later obtained by WFIU/WTIU News, chemical supplier Absolute Standards, Inc. says it's done making pentobarbital for the U.S. government.

Lethal injection is thought to be painless and thought to be quick, seemingly the most humane choice. But what if we've got it all wrong?