LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas says it has a new supply of a drug used for lethal injections that had expired last month, potentially clearing the way for the state to resume executions after a decade-long hiatus.
The state Department of Correction on Tuesday said it had received a supply of vecuronium bromide with an expiration date of March 1, 2018. The state's previous supply of the paralytic expired June 30.
The announcement comes less than a month after the Arkansas Supreme Court upheld a state law that keeps information about lethal injection drugs confidential. The eight death row inmates who had challenged the law have asked the court to reconsider its decision. The court's ruling on the secrecy law won't take effect until justices decide on the inmates' latest request.
“Any statements regarding the potential scheduling of executions would need to come from the governor’s office,” department spokesman Solomon Graves said by phone.
A spokesman for Gov. Asa Hutchinson was not immediately available for comment Tuesday evening.
Read Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
Arkansas Online reporter Brandon Riddle contributed to this story.