Tuesday, July 17, 2012

ATLANTA (AP) -- Georgia is following the lead of several other states by switching to single-drug executions.

The Georgia Department of Corrections said in a statement Tuesday it will begin using a single dose of the sedative pentobarbital for the death penalty. It had been using pentobarbital as part of a three-drug combination.

Corrections officials did not give a reason for the change, and a department spokeswoman did not respond to questions emailed at her request.

Corrections officials said pentobarbital has been proven effective by the experience of other states and medical testimony.

Corrections officials also announced that Wednesday's planned execution of death row inmate Warren Lee Hill has been rescheduled for Monday. Hill's lawyer Brian Kammer says he's troubled by the drug change so close to the execution date.

(Copyright 2012, The Associated Press)