G.D. Hancock, Ph.D.
Arizona has one law on supplying drugs that cause a death.
A person aged 18 or older who knowingly sells fentanyl, knowing the drug contains fentanyl, when the fentanyl causes another person's death. It is a defense that the fentanyl and its precursor chemicals were made in, or lawfully imported into, the United States.
A person who seeks medical help in good faith for someone overdosing, and the person who overdosed, cannot be charged or prosecuted for possessing or using drugs or drug paraphernalia when the evidence came from the call. Seeking help can count as a mitigating factor in other drug prosecutions. The section is scheduled to be repealed on July 1, 2028.
Statute: Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 13-3423
Does calling for help protect against the drug-death charge? No.
The Good Samaritan law does not list the drug-death offense, so it does not protect against that charge.
Whatever the law says, if someone is overdosing, call 911. A life comes first. More on calling 911.
Federal law applies in every state. When death or serious bodily injury results from using a Schedule I or II drug that a person distributed, federal law sets a mandatory minimum of 20 years and a maximum of life. Federal prosecutors can bring this charge whatever the state law says. (21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A)-(C))
5 cases in the published sample of the drug-induced homicide case database were prosecuted in Arizona. The database is still being built; the complete version will be published when it is finished.
This page describes what the statutes say, as of 7 October 2026. It is not legal advice, and it can’t tell you how a court will apply the law to any particular case. Laws change; check the statute, and please speak to a lawyer in Arizona about your own situation.