# Why isn’t heroin used for lethal injections?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-heroin-used-for-lethal-injections/736159>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [October 30, 2015, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-heroin-used-for-lethal-injections/736159 "2015-10-30T06:14:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![SunflowerPipes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@SunflowerPipes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunflowerPipes)\
**Post date:** [November 27, 2015, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-heroin-used-for-lethal-injections/736159/61 "2015-11-27T17:41:37Z")

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Apparently the wood chipper is an alleged torture device of Saddam Hussein. There doesn’t appear to be any proof of its existence. From what I’ve read it was more of a fabrication of propaganda used by the west.

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**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\
**Post date:** [November 27, 2015, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-heroin-used-for-lethal-injections/736159/62 "2015-11-27T20:07:38Z")

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We know how much it takes of anesthetic agents, potassium, etc. to kill a person, and can standardize the dose. That’s not the case with heroin.

In addition, it’s not going to kill the person right away. Those stories about a rock star being found dead with a needle in his arm? He didn’t die from an overdose; he had an anaphylactic reaction to something the dope was cut with.

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