Under A.R.S. 13-3401, an illegal drug is a controlled substance, a narcotic drug, a dangerous drug, marijuana over the legal limit, prescription-only medication without a valid prescription, or peyote, that you possess, use, or distribute without authorization.

Arizona sorts drugs into five statutory categories: narcotic drugs (heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, oxycodone), dangerous drugs (meth, LSD, ecstasy, mushrooms), marijuana, prescription-only drugs, and peyote. Each has its own statute and penalty range.

Yes. The A-Z table above lists the most commonly charged drugs and the Arizona category each falls under. The full statutory list of dangerous drugs in A.R.S. 13-3401(6) alone names hundreds of compounds.

Narcotic drugs (A.R.S. 13-3408) are opioids and cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, and morphine. Dangerous drugs (A.R.S. 13-3407) are everything else on the controlled list, meth, LSD, ecstasy, mushrooms, GHB. Both are class 4 felonies for simple possession, but the category changes the threshold weights and charging.

Adderall (amphetamine) is a prescription-only drug when you have a valid prescription. Without one, possessing it is charged as a dangerous drug under A.R.S. 13-3407, a class 4 felony, though first-time personal use is usually Prop 200 probation-eligible.

Yes. Possession of methamphetamine is a class 4 felony, but under Proposition 200 a first- or second-time offender charged with personal-use possession must be offered probation or diversion instead of prison, unless the weight hits the sale threshold.

Cocaine is a narcotic drug, so possession is a class 4 felony. Many first-time offenders complete the TASC diversion program or Prop 200 probation and avoid a conviction. Amounts at or above 9 grams trigger a presumption of sale and much harsher, non-probation-eligible penalties.

Fentanyl is a narcotic drug under A.R.S. 13-3408. Because of the overdose crisis, prosecutors charge fentanyl aggressively, and pills are counted individually, so even a small number can push a case over the threshold into a class 2 felony for sale or transport.

Possessing a prescription-only drug (like Xanax, Valium, or Adderall) without a valid prescription is a class 1 misdemeanor or class 6 felony under A.R.S. 13-3406, depending on the drug and quantity. A valid prescription is a complete defense.

Possession of drug paraphernalia is a class 6 felony under A.R.S. 13-3415. It is often beatable by challenging the stop or search, contesting that the item was for drug use, or resolving it through diversion, which keeps it off your record.

“Class A” is a British label, not an Arizona one. Arizona’s most serious drugs, heroin, cocaine, meth, and fentanyl, fall under the narcotic and dangerous drug categories, which carry the toughest penalties and lowest sale thresholds.

Simple possession is a class 4 felony with a presumptive 2.5-year prison term, but most first- and second-time personal-use offenders serve no prison at all under Proposition 200, completing probation, treatment, or diversion instead.

Sometimes. Arizona civil asset forfeiture lets the State try to seize property allegedly connected to drug sales or trafficking, even before a conviction. These forfeitures can be fought separately from the criminal case, and we challenge both.

Yes. Illegal stops, bad searches, lab and chain-of-custody errors, and lack of “knowing” possession can suppress evidence, reduce a felony to a misdemeanor, or divert the case out of the system entirely.