Are Psilocybin Mushrooms Legal in Arizona?

At-a-Glance Status

• Statewide status: Illegal — a "dangerous drug" (A.R.S. § 13-3401(6); Schedule I at the health-code level via § 36-2512).
• Possession / use: class 4 felony — § 13-3407(A)(1). Eligible first- and second-time personal-possession cases can receive probation and treatment, and a court may designate a qualifying completed offense a class 1 misdemeanor.
• Growing / selling / transporting for sale: class 2 felony — § 13-3407 (manufacture, possession for sale, transport for sale).
• Penalty ranges (first-time): class 4 = 1–3.75 years' exposure; class 2 = 3–12.5 years (§ 13-702).
• Spores: no spore statute; germinating them is felony manufacture.
• Local enforcement: no Arizona city or county has deprioritized (advocacy campaigns only).
• Legal access program: none — the state funds a closed whole-mushroom PTSD research study; a service-center bill was vetoed in 2024.
• Church support: Supported state — religious path via RFRA.

What Arizona Law Actually Says

Arizona classifies psilocybin and psilocyn (the statute's spelling of psilocin) as "dangerous drugs" in its criminal code (A.R.S. § 13-3401(6)) — both molecules are named, so a mushroom is covered whichever one a lab measures. At the health-code level the state also carries them as Schedule I by incorporating the federal schedule (§ 36-2512).

Possessing or using a dangerous drug is a class 4 felony under § 13-3407(A)(1) — a first-time exposure of 1 to 3.75 years under § 13-702. In practice, Arizona softens the landing for personal use: under Proposition 200 (§ 13-901.01), eligible first- and second-time personal-possession cases can receive probation and treatment rather than prison, and § 13-3407 lets a court designate a qualifying completed first offense a class 1 misdemeanor — psilocybin is not on either provision's exclusion list. The charge is still a felony when filed.

Manufacturing, possessing for sale, transporting for sale, or selling a dangerous drug — and growing mushrooms is charged as manufacture — is a class 2 felony under § 13-3407: Arizona's second-highest felony class, with a first-time range of 3 to 12.5 years (§ 13-702). Psilocybin is also Schedule I under federal law.

What's Restricted

• Possessing or using psilocybin mushrooms — class 4 felony (§ 13-3407(A)(1)), with probation paths for eligible personal-possession cases.
• Growing mushrooms — charged as manufacturing a dangerous drug, class 2 felony (§ 13-3407(A)(4)).
• Selling, possessing for sale, or transporting for sale — class 2 felony (§ 13-3407(A)(2), (A)(7)).

All of it is criminal under state law. Probation availability in eligible cases is not legality.

Has Any Arizona City Lowered Enforcement?

No. No Arizona city or county has passed a resolution decriminalizing or deprioritizing psilocybin. Advocacy campaigns have organized in Tucson and around Phoenix and Tempe, but no council has taken a vote. Some websites loosely claim Phoenix or Tucson have "deprioritized" psychedelics; we found no ordinance or council action behind that claim — treat it as false.

Statewide law applies everywhere in Arizona.

Are Mushrooms Legal in Phoenix, Tucson, or Flagstaff?

• Phoenix: No. State law applies in full; no city measure exists.
• Tucson: No. A local advocacy campaign exists; the council has passed nothing.
• Flagstaff: No. No local measure of any kind; state law applies.

The #Decrim Movement

The #decrim movement, which started in California, is how ordinary people are working to change laws governing natural psychedelics, city by city and state by state — through education, local organizing, public meetings, and legislation. The #decrim movement includes the work to legalize psilocybin. Decriminalization is not legalization; every proposal has its own scope and limits.

Follow #decrim and #DecriminalizeNature to find campaigns, proposed legislation, public meetings, and organizations near you. Read the proposal, learn what it would — and would not — change, and show up where the work is happening. Social media can lead you to the movement, but always verify current law through official government sources.

The Spore Rule: What the Statute Actually Says

Arizona has no statute that specifically bans psilocybin spores — the words "spore" and "mycelium" appear nowhere in § 13-3401, § 13-3407, or the Schedule I incorporation. The law criminalizes the chemicals psilocybin and psilocyn, which dormant spores don't contain, so spores sit in a legal gray zone.

But the moment spores are germinated, the grower is manufacturing a dangerous drug — a class 2 felony under § 13-3407 — and spores found with grow equipment can support a charge of possessing equipment or chemicals for manufacture (§ 13-3407(A)(3), a class 3 felony) or an intent theory. Treat spores as unscheduled, not as safe.

Arizona Psilocybin Law in 2026: What Changed—and What Did Not

Arizona has not legalized or decriminalized psilocybin — but it has funded whole-mushroom psilocybin research. The enacted authority is SB 1726 (Laws 2023, chapter 139, § 6), which funds clinical trials studying whole mushrooms for PTSD and other conditions in populations including veterans and first responders. (HB 2486 was the 2023 proposal that seeded the program; the enacted provisions are in the session law.) That is a closed clinical-research pathway — research funding does not authorize personal possession or create public access.

Access bills have fared worse. SB 1570 (2024) would have created Oregon-style licensed psilocybin service centers; it was amended down to an advisory body in the House and then vetoed by the governor — the veto letter is in the official record. Further study and ibogaine-research proposals have moved through the Legislature since, but none has created any psilocybin access. No psilocybin ballot initiative has qualified for an Arizona ballot. Psilocybin remains fully illegal statewide.

Looking beyond Arizona?

Religious Use: What the Law Does — and Does Not — Protect

Arizona's controlled-substance law makes no exception for religious use — but federal law offers a narrower principle. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) can protect the sincere religious use of a sacrament even where a substance is otherwise illegal. It is a defense, decided case by case — not immunity, and not legalization.

Arizona is one of the states with its own religious-freedom statute (A.R.S. § 41-1493.01): the state may not substantially burden religious exercise unless it proves a compelling interest pursued by the least restrictive means. But Arizona's courts have already tested that shield in the drug context — in State v. Hardesty (2009), the Arizona Supreme Court rejected a religious-use defense to marijuana charges under the state act. No Arizona court has protected psilocybin on religious-liberty grounds. This is a framework for a defense with hostile precedent — not a promise.

The Church states this honestly: sincere sacramental practice may be protected; it never promises you cannot be prosecuted under state or federal law.

How TCOP Supports Members in Arizona

The Church of Psychedelics can support a person's spiritual development without pretending that membership changes Arizona law.

TCOP members can participate in Ayüna (the religion), The Golden Path (the spiritual belief system), and teachings, prayer, preparation, integration, services, and community gatherings. These practices help people expand their self-awareness, deepen their relationship with Source Consciousness, and bring greater intention and responsibility into everyday life.

The sacrament of psilocybin is part of that religious life, but it is not the whole religion. Preparation helps a person understand why they are developing a relationship with the medicine. Integration helps them carry what they learn into their relationships, choices, healing, and spiritual development.

We will not tell a Arizona member that joining the Church automatically makes possession or use legal. Trust begins with telling the truth about both the spiritual path and the law.

Store-Shelf "Mushroom" Products: Read the Label, Then Question It

Arizona does not have a legal retail market for psilocybin gummies or chocolate. A package labeled "mushroom," "microdose," or "psychedelic" is not proof that it contains psilocybin — or that the label accurately describes what is inside.

Some products contain Amanita compounds such as muscimol. Others may contain synthetic or undisclosed substances. In the nationwide Diamond Shruumz investigation, CDC reported 180 illnesses, 73 hospitalizations, and two associated deaths. Testing found several substances across different products, including psilocin, O-acetylpsilocin, muscimol, kavalactones, and the prescription drug pregabalin.

The practical lesson is simple: a product being sold openly does not make it regulated, accurately labeled, or safe.

The Bottom Line

Arizona’s drug laws restrict psilocybin, and its religious-freedom law protects sincere religious exercise through an individualized legal standard. TCOP welcomes Arizona residents into its free community for spiritual education, guidance, and connection. Religious liberty matters here: sincere use of the sacrament of psilocybin may qualify for protection under Arizona’s religious-freedom law and federal RFRA, case by case.

TCOP approaches psilocybin as a sacrament within sincere religious belief and ongoing spiritual practice. Our community brings together education, spiritual guidance, and member support for personal and spiritual development. We ground our religious-liberty position in that lived practice; its legal protection depends on the applicable law and the facts of each case.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

Sources for this guide include state statutes, court decisions, and official policy records. Laws can change; this information is educational and is not legal advice.

1. A.R.S. § 13-3401 — definitions ("dangerous drug": psilocybin and psilocyn; threshold amounts) · Arizona Legislature
2. A.R.S. § 13-3407 — dangerous drugs: possession, manufacture, sale; felony classes · Arizona Legislature
3. A.R.S. § 13-702 — first-time felony sentencing ranges · Arizona Legislature
4. A.R.S. § 13-901.01 — Proposition 200: probation for first and second personal drug possession · Arizona Legislature
5. A.R.S. § 36-2512 — Schedule I (incorporating 21 C.F.R. § 1308.11 and § 13-3401) · Arizona Legislature
6. A.R.S. § 41-1493.01 — Arizona free-exercise-of-religion act (state RFRA) · Arizona Legislature
7. SB 1726, Laws 2023, chapter 139, § 6 — enacted psilocybin research provisions · Arizona Legislature
8. Governor's veto letter for SB 1570 (2024, psilocybin service centers) · Arizona Governor / Arizona Legislature
9. 21 C.F.R. § 1308.11 — federal Schedule I · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
10. Federal RFRA — 42 U.S.C. § 2000bb-1 · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
11. Gonzales v. O Centro, 546 U.S. 418 (2006) — sacramental-use RFRA decision · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
12. City of Boerne v. Flores, 521 U.S. 507 (1997) — federal RFRA and state governments · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
13. DEA guidance on petitions for religious exemption from the Controlled Substances Act · U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration