Who ordered the drug and dosage?

Remember Jack, Doc and Reggie? This clever threesome unraveled mysteries back when radio was the gathering center for families. Parents and children would sit mesmerized by a simple box emitting foreboding music and familiar voices as we anxiously awaited our trip into the adventures with our favorite characters. We need this trio now. But what holds my attention is not a lovable, but rather a disturbing mystery.
 
In November 2013, there was a news flash that a Texas execution by lethal injection had gone badly, causing the condemned to gasp and struggle in pain. As a licensed pharmacist for 60 years, I am comfortable in a milieu of lethal drugs. A key ingredient pentobarbital had been obtained from Woodlands Compounding Pharmacy in Texas. This March, the Texas Department of Justice obtained a new supply but won’t identify the source.
 
But this is the real mystery. On whose order was a suspect drug provided? What legitimate pharmacy would supply a poison? In earlier lethal executions, a triumvirate of drugs have been used legally. The first drug might have been pentobarbital to induce rapid unconsciousness. But sources of the drug in Europe no longer supply us because of anti-death penalty laws. Of the other two drugs, the curare-like drug would paralyze all muscles including those of the heart and lungs. The third drug is not really a drug at all but a salt in a strong or hypertonic solution, a super electrolyte solution of potassium chloride to quickly shock and stop the heart.
 
Now, let’s get back to Jack, Doc, and Reggie. Imagine them working on this mystery today.
 
Doc, the physician, questions, “As a doctor, I know that orders for such a drug like pentobarbital must come from someone like me and administered in a correct dose to induce quick death. What physician would order this drug dosage?
 
Jack chimes in, “Would the warden have ordered the drug? And could he, when clearly he is not a licensed physician?" Reggie urges, “Let’s get started and check the prison staff, records, personnel and drug orders.”
 
Reggie presses on, “Let’s back up a little first and ask why only a few states like Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas conduct capital punishment.” I understand Mississippi executes one prisoner a month! In my country (Great Britain) we outlawed capital punishment over 40 years ago. We discovered that crime did not increase and we save taxpayers a heck of a lot of money.”
 
Doc thinks aloud, “My calling is "To do no harm". Most physicians would agree. Our conscience must be clear according to our Hippocratic Oath. What would your youngster here think? He wants to be just like us.”
 
Jack, the kid, admits, “Killing people seems horrible to me, whether it’s quick and painless or convulsing and ugly; it’s still killing. I’m young and I make mistakes; I certainly don’t want to be killed for a mistake.”
 
Reggie adds, “In my nosing around, I discovered most prisoners on death row are African American. And most of the prison population is African American. Could this death penalty be called racist?”
 
Doc thoughtfully murmurs, “I read about a prison experiment at Stanford University where students in a psychology class were selected randomly to role play as prison guards or inmates. As the scenario progressed, the student-guards became cruel, denying student-prisoners food, clothing and sleep. Because of the inhumane behavior by ordinary students, the experiment had to be stopped."
 
Jack interrupts, “I’m not sure what I would do if I were taking that class. I’m wondering if I would wear the dark glasses and give such orders, especially when we were all classmates.”
 
Doc continues, “Yes, that was the surprise. We can learn a lot from this. The mere fact of having control over others seems to unleash our dark side. That’s it! It’s not the drugs. It’s the dark cruel prison system!”
 
Reggie–always ready to tie up loose ends–pronounces, “This mystery is solved. It’s past time for this country of yours to end its relationship with the dark side. Capital punishment is a crime against humanity. Most of the world agrees and so should yours.”