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Ohio Turns to Security Expert to Shield Lethal Drug Info
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Records show the state paid a security consultant $4,900 in its efforts to shield the names of people or companies providing lethal drugs to Ohio’s prisons system.
The state says the risks identified by consultant Lawrence Cunningham justify keeping those names secret.
Those risks include violence, intimidation, harassment, annoyance or oppression.
Cunningham’s assessment says the risks apply to anyone making, compounding, importing, transporting or testing execution drugs.
Defense attorneys fighting efforts to shield information say Cunningham repackaged a similar threat assessment he did for Texas.
Attorneys say the state is trying to shield details about its contract with FDAImports.com. The attorneys say those details of the contract with the drug import company are already public.
Cunningham says there are parallels with his Texas analysis but it’s not a one-size-fits-all assessment.