COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio is considering adding nitrogen hypoxia as a method for carrying out the death penalty, a move supported by state Attorney General Dave Yost, who said the current system has become an "abdication of responsibility" due to years of execution delays.

Yost testified before the House Judiciary Committee this week in favor of House Bill 36, legislation that would permit the use of nitrogen hypoxia as an alternative to lethal injection. The proposal comes as Ohio’s ability to conduct executions has stalled because of the state's difficulty in obtaining the necessary drugs for lethal injection, currently the only authorized method under state law.

“An additional method of execution is necessary,” Yost told lawmakers, noting that private drug companies have refused to provi

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