COLUMBUS — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has called for legislative approval of nitrogen hypoxia as a new method of execution, citing the state’s “dishonorable abdication of responsibility” in its current capital-punishment system.
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Yost testified before the House Judiciary Committee in support of House Bill 36, which would authorize the use of nitrogen hypoxia for executions in Ohio. He argued that an additional method is “necessary” due to private drug companies’ refusal to supply the state with lethal injection drugs.
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Nine states allow lethal gas as a means of execution, with five specifically permitting nitrogen hypoxia.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump directed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to assist states in obtaining lethal injection drugs, a move Yost welcomed.
Currently, lethal injection is the only authorized form of execution in Ohio.
From 1981 to 2024, Ohio issued 342 death sentences, but only 56 have been carried out.
The state’s last execution was in July 2018, and condemned inmates spend an average of over 22 years on Death Row.
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