Ohio to switch to single-drug execution

CLEVELAND, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Ohio's decision to use a single drug to execute prisoners likely will be delayed by numerous court challenges, a death penalty expert said.

Ohio on Friday became the first state to say it would switch from a three-drug cocktail to a massive dose of an anesthetic, the preferred method in animal euthanasia.

Lengthy court challenges are expected, said Richard C. Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, which opposes the death penalty.

"The simple fact is that no one knows whether this method will work on humans and what unforeseen side effects there could be," Dieter told The New York Times in a story published Saturday.

Thirty-five other states use a three-drug cocktail in which a barbiturate renders the inmate unconscious, followed by a paralytic and then a chemical to stop the heart.

Ohio's decision to switch to a single drug came after the failed Sept. 15 execution of convicted murderer Romell Broom, 53. The execution process was stopped after prison officials tried for two hours to find usable vein.