Absolute Standards Inc. is a

chemical company The chemical industry comprises the companies and other organizations that develop and produce industrial, specialty and other chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, the chemical industry converts raw materials ( oil, natural gas, air, w ...

that makes chemical samples for use in

calibrating In measurement technology and metrology, calibration is the comparison of measurement values delivered by a device under test with those of a calibration standard of known accuracy. Such a standard could be another measurement device of known a ...

laboratory testing equipment. The company is suspected to be a supplier of execution drugs for the

Federal government of the United States The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...

. Absolute Standards is not registered with the

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

(FDA), nor is it registered as a controlled substances manufacturer with the

Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating illicit Illegal drug trade, drug trafficking a ...

(DEA). Therefore, despite allegedly producing ingredients for lethal injections, Absolute Standards is not authorized to produce drugs for human consumption.

Products

Calibration Chemicals

Absolute Standards advertises itself as producing over 2,000 calibration chemical products designed to assist with the testing and analysis of instruments used in laboratories, and claims to ship their products to all fifty U.S. states, several territories, and over thirty countries.

Pentobarbital

Absolute Standards applied to be registered as a bulk manufacturer of

pentobarbital Pentobarbital (US) or pentobarbitone (British and Australian) is a short-acting barbiturate typically used as a sedative, a preanesthetic, and to control convulsions in emergencies. It can also be used for short-term treatment of insomnia but ...

on September 29, 2018, and again on August 25, 2021, according to

notices. The first notice stated that the company planned to bulk manufacture the substance for distribution to customers, while the 2021 notice mentioned that the company intended to bulk manufacture the controlled substances "for internal use and sale to its customers." In May 2024, Absolute Standards president John P. Criscio sent a letter to Connecticut state senator Saud Anwar and state representative Josh Elliott informing them that had company had ceased the manufacture and sale of pentobarbital in December 2020, marking the first written acknowledgment by Criscio that the company had been manufacturing pentobarbital, and stating that the company had no intention of resuming its production. Apart from its use in lethal injections, pentobarbital can also treat tension,

anxiety Anxiety is an emotion characterised by an unpleasant state of inner wikt:turmoil, turmoil and includes feelings of dread over Anticipation, anticipated events. Anxiety is different from fear in that fear is defined as the emotional response ...

insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder where people have difficulty sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep for as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low ene ...

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of Non-communicable disease, non-communicable Neurological disorder, neurological disorders characterized by a tendency for recurrent, unprovoked Seizure, seizures. A seizure is a sudden burst of abnormal electrical activit ...

, and other

seizures A seizure is a sudden, brief disruption of brain activity caused by abnormal, excessive, or synchronous neuronal firing. Depending on the regions of the brain involved, seizures can lead to changes in movement, sensation, behavior, awareness, o ...

. Additionally, it can be used to help patients relax before

surgery Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and instrumental techniques to diagnose or treat pathological conditions (e.g., trauma, disease, injury, malignancy), to alter bodily functions (e.g., malabsorption created by bariatric surgery s ...

. Absolute Standards, however, provides chemical standards to chemical testing laboratories and isn't a provider of drugs for pharmaceutical or hospital use.

Investigations

In 2020,

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

suspected that Absolute Standards, based on a letter signed by Democratic Party members of the US

House Oversight Committee The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the main investigative United States congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one o ...

, was the manufacturer of a raw, powdered form of

for the

Justice Department A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

. According to Reuters, the department has confirmed hiring a pharmacy to mix this powder into a sterile, injectable solution. When asked about the claims, Stephen Arpie (Director) told Reuters that they "don't know what the final intended use" of their products is going to be. In April 2021, Jennifer Lamb, the district director for Congresswoman

Rosa DeLauro Rosa Luisa DeLauro ( ; born March 2, 1943) is an American politician who is in her 18th term as the U.S. representative for , having served since 1991. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is based in New Haven and includes mos ...

, wrote to Connecticut Attorney General

William Tong William Morten Tong (, born May 2, 1973) is an American lawyer and progressive politician who is the 25th and current Attorney General of Connecticut. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Tong attended Brown University and the University of Chicago L ...

about Absolute Standards, saying, “It appears the company may have supplied the US Department of Justice with ingredients used to make pentobarbital for use in federal executions." In May 2021, Tong wrote to Absolute Standards requesting details about the company’s activities, expressing concern that the company might “also be providing pentobarbital, or contemplating providing the drug, for use by individual states in their attempts to execute human beings.” On a 2024 episode of the television series ''

Last Week Tonight A last is a mechanical form shaped like a human foot. It is used by shoemakers and cordwainers in the manufacture and repair of shoes. Lasts come in many styles and sizes, depending on the exact job they are designed for. Common variations ...

'', Absolute Standards was again accused of supplying pentobarbital to the federal government. This claim was based on information from a confidential source and a

Freedom of Information request Freedom of information laws allow access by the general public to data held by national governments and, where applicable, by state and local governments. The emergence of freedom of information legislation was a response to increasing dissatis ...

filed with the

DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating illicit drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domes ...

in 2020. The processing of this request was significantly delayed, reportedly due to the documents being "related to the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

," according to an agency liaison. In a separate investigation, ''

The Intercept ''The Intercept'' is an American left-wing nonprofit news organization that publishes articles and podcasts online. ''The Intercept'' has published in English since its founding in 2014, and in Portuguese since the 2016 launch of the Brazilia ...

'' requested records detailing communications between the South Carolina Department of Corrections and Absolute Standards. This was following the announcement in September 2023 by South Carolina officials that the state had secured pentobarbital for carrying out executions by lethal injection. The Department of Corrections replied that the information requested was exempt from disclosure, due in part to a state secrecy law that shields the identity of people and companies involved in executions. The Intercept also cites two unnamed sources, both of whom report being told by Stephen Arpie and John Criscio that Absolute Standards made drugs for executions.

References

{{reflist 1990 establishments in Connecticut American companies established in 1990 Chemical companies established in 1990 Chemical companies of the United States Manufacturing companies based in Connecticut Lethal injection Hamden, Connecticut