An Alabama execution Thursday that would be the first to use nitrogen gas is the result of a long history of problems with lethal injections since Texas first used the method in 1982, including difficulties finding usable veins and obtaining the necessary drugs. Here’s a look at some of the issues death penalty states across the country are facing and why some, including Alabama, are considering alternative methods. WHAT HAPPENED IN ALABAMA? Alabama tried but failed to execute Kenneth Eugene Smith by lethal injection in 2022 for his role in the 1988 murder-for-hire slaying of a preacher’s wife.