Despite the U.S. Supreme Court hearing in less than two weeks on a legal challenge to how Oklahoma carries out lethal injections for death row convicts, Gov. Mary Fallin signed on Friday a law that would use nitrogen gas as backup execution method in the state, which was the first to use lethal injection in 1977.

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It is the third state to substantially amend its execution method the past few months in response to the shortage of drugs needed to make lethal injection cocktails. U.S. pharmaceutical companies have stopped making certain drugs that resulted in ineffective or extremely painful lethal injections using new cocktails.

In the case of convicted murderer Clayton Lockett, it took 43 minutes before the new cocktail took effect, resulting in executions in Oklahoma being placed on hold until the Supreme Court finishes its review of the use of lethal injections.

When the states attempted to buy the drug in Europe, pharmaceutical firms turned the states down because the drug would be used for lethal injection.

In March, Utah opted for firing squad as alternative method to executive death row convicts, while Tennessee chose to resurrect the electric chair.

However, Utah's and Tennessee's alternative methods are old ones, while Oklahoma's nitrogen is a new method. Prior to Friday, Oklahoma had the electric chair and firing squad as its second and third options, respectively.

One of the bill's sponsors, Rep. Mike Christian, explained that under the new method, a person being served the capital punishment would breathe in nitrogen without oxygen, rendering the convict unconscious within 10 seconds and lifeless after a few minutes, reports CNN.

It would even save the state money because the only equipment needed are a gas mask and a nitrogen tank, estimated at $500, according to a financial analysis

But the lower cost does not convince the Death Penalty Information Center that it is a better method. Robert Dunham pointed out that Oklahoma uses the same argument that killing death row convicts using nitrogen is painless which it previously used for the lethal injection using the new cocktail.

Dunham stressed, "The hasty manner in which this bill sped into law reflects the same lack of care with which Oklahoma has managed its execution process historically," quotes CNN.

TagsOklahoma, Nitrogen, Gov. Mary Fallin, Gas Chamber