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You know those guys who are masters at faking prescriptions or massaging paperwork in order to abuse their drug of choice?
Texas might be a member of that club.
Two TDCJ inmates are complaining to feds that the state's paperwork shows the mandatory DEA registration number needed to purchase lethal-injection drugs belongs to a Huntsville hospital that closed almost 20 years ago.
Suh-weet. The DEA apparently "checks" the paperwork as closely as the no-questions-asked guy at the hole-in-the-wall pharmacy, if the money's right.
"Federal and state laws governing the purchase, possession and transfer of controlled substances exist to guard against diversion, and ensure the efficacy and lawful use of these drugs," Maurie Levin, an Austin attorney who represents one of the inmates, told the Austin American-Statesman.
TDCJ officials didn't have an immediate response. The inmates' claims come in letters to Attorney General Eric Holder and another federal official.
Of course, we're thinking it's probably not that big a deal to update the paperwork, but you never know -- with the ongoing shortage of lethal-injection drugs, maybe any glitch will put you in the back of the line.
As a good junkie for the stuff, though, we're sure Texas will figure out some workaround.
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