Ohio's Republican Attorney General, Dave Yost, has thrown his support behind a legislative effort to introduce nitrogen gas executions in the state. This move comes in the wake of Alabama's recent use of nitrogen gas as a method of execution, marking a potential national trend among pro-death penalty states. Currently, three states - Alabama, Mississippi, and Oklahoma - have authorized nitrogen hypoxia as an alternative execution method.

The push for alternative execution methods has gained traction as lethal injection drugs have become increasingly difficult to obtain. Many states are now searching for new ways to carry out capital punishment. Attorney General Yost believes that adding nitrogen gas as an execution option could bring an end to Ohio's unofficial death penalty moratorium, which was declared by Republican Governor Mike DeWine in 2020 due to issues with obtaining necessary drugs. The state's last execution took place in 2018.

Yost argues that it is an abdication of Ohio's sovereignty to let pharmaceutical companies dictate the state's laws by refusing to sell the required chemicals for lethal injections. Joined by Republican state Representatives Brian Stewart and Phil Plummer, Yost held a news conference to introduce a bill that would add nitrogen gas as a method of execution. The bill would provide condemned inmates with a choice between lethal injection and nitrogen gas, but if lethal injection drugs are unavailable, executions would proceed using nitrogen gas.

The use of nitrogen gas as a method of execution has stirred controversy. Last week, Alabama executed convicted murderer Kenneth Eugene Smith using nitrogen gas administered through a face mask to deprive him of oxygen. The execution took approximately 22 minutes, during which Smith appeared to remain conscious for several minutes and exhibited signs of struggle. While state officials in Alabama defended the process as humane and effective, critics labeled it as cruel and experimental.

Opponents of the proposed bill argue that nitrogen gas is unfit for use in executions and cite its rejection as a euthanasia method by veterinarians. Ohio Senate Democratic Leader Nickie Antonio, a proponent of abolishing the death penalty, expressed her dismay at the proposal, describing any form of execution in 2024 as inhumane and barbaric.

Governor DeWine, who has expressed concerns about Ohio's death penalty system, has not outright supported its repeal but has raised questions about its value. He acknowledged the lengthy delays between crime and punishment and the lack of legislative movement to develop alternative execution methods.

The bill introduced in Ohio aims to provide closure for victims' families by resuming executions that have been on hold due to pharmaceutical companies' unwillingness to supply lethal injection drugs. However, the availability of nitrogen gas for executions remains a concern, as one private company, Airgas, has already announced opposition to supplying nitrogen for this purpose.

With 118 men and one woman currently on death row in Ohio, the issue of capital punishment continues to be a highly debated and divisive topic in the state. As the proposed bill moves forward, its fate will depend on the support it garners from lawmakers and the response it receives from the public.