Arizona Marijuana Laws: Possession Limits, Home Growing and Legal Sales in 2026

Marijuana is legal in Arizona for adults 21 and older, including possession, purchases from licensed retailers and limited home cultivation. Arizona also maintains a medical marijuana program for qualifying patients.

Arizona voters approved recreational marijuana legalization through Proposition 207 in November 2020. The measure legalized possession and personal cultivation for adults 21 and older and established a regulated system of licensed marijuana businesses.

Below is an overview of Arizona marijuana laws, including possession and purchase limits, home growing, medical marijuana, public use restrictions and other rules. For a nationwide comparison, visit our Marijuana Laws by State guide.

Last updated: September 13, 2026

Is Recreational Marijuana Legal in Arizona?

Yes. Adults 21 and older may legally possess, purchase, use and cultivate marijuana in Arizona, subject to state limits and restrictions.

Adults do not need a medical marijuana card to purchase marijuana from a licensed recreational retailer.

Legalization does not authorize public smoking, impaired driving, unlicensed commercial sales or possession above the amounts allowed by state law.

Arizona Marijuana Laws at a Glance

How Much Marijuana Can You Possess in Arizona?

Adults 21 and older may possess, consume, purchase, process or transport up to one ounce of marijuana. No more than five grams of that amount may consist of marijuana concentrate.

Arizona law separately allows adults who legally cultivate marijuana at home to possess marijuana produced by those plants on the premises where the plants were grown.

Possessing more than one ounce but no more than 2.5 ounces, including no more than 12.5 grams of concentrate, is a petty offense rather than conduct protected under the state’s adult-use law. Larger amounts can carry more serious consequences.

How Much Marijuana Can You Buy in Arizona?

A licensed recreational marijuana retailer may sell no more than one ounce of marijuana to a consumer in a single transaction, with no more than five grams in the form of marijuana concentrate.

Arizona also limits the potency of recreational edible marijuana products. Edibles may contain no more than 10 milligrams of THC per serving and no more than 100 milligrams of THC per package.

Adult-use marijuana purchases are subject to a 16% state marijuana excise tax in addition to applicable transaction privilege taxes.

Can You Grow Marijuana at Home in Arizona?

Yes. An adult 21 or older may cultivate up to six marijuana plants for personal use at the individual’s primary residence.

If two or more adults 21 or older live at the residence, no more than 12 marijuana plants may be grown there at one time.

Plants must be grown in a closet, room, greenhouse or other enclosed area equipped with a lock or other security device that prevents access by minors. The plants also may not be visible from public view without the use of binoculars, aircraft or other optical aids.

Adults may possess marijuana produced by their lawful plants on the premises where the plants were grown.

Arizona’s personal cultivation law does not authorize unlicensed commercial marijuana production or sales.

Is Medical Marijuana Legal in Arizona?

Yes. Arizona has maintained a medical marijuana program since voters approved the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act in 2010.

Registered qualifying patients may possess up to 2.5 ounces of usable marijuana and may obtain no more than 2.5 ounces from registered medical marijuana dispensaries during any 14-day period.

Qualifying conditions include cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, agitation associated with Alzheimer’s disease and post-traumatic stress disorder, along with certain chronic or debilitating conditions that cause symptoms such as severe and chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, wasting syndrome or severe and persistent muscle spasms.

Medical marijuana patients must obtain a registry identification card through the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Medical cultivation rules differ from the recreational home-grow provisions. A registered patient may be authorized to cultivate up to 12 medical marijuana plants if the patient meets the program’s cultivation requirements, including generally residing at least 25 miles from the nearest operating dispensary.

Adults 21 and older do not need a medical marijuana card to purchase from a recreational marijuana retailer.

Can Tourists Buy Marijuana in Arizona?

Yes. Adults 21 and older visiting Arizona may purchase recreational marijuana from licensed retailers. Arizona residency is not required for adult-use purchases.

Consumers must provide acceptable identification establishing that they are at least 21.

Visitors are subject to the same possession, purchase and consumption restrictions as Arizona residents.

Marijuana should not be transported across state or international borders, and Arizona legalization does not make marijuana legal on federal property.

Where Can You Use Marijuana in Arizona?

Arizona prohibits smoking marijuana in public places and open spaces.

The state’s definition of public places includes many enclosed areas open to the public, while open spaces include public parks, sidewalks, walkways and pedestrian thoroughfares.

Private property owners and businesses may also prohibit or regulate marijuana possession, consumption and cultivation on property they control. This means marijuana cannot necessarily be consumed at a location simply because it is privately owned.

Arizona law also prohibits consuming marijuana or marijuana products while driving, operating or riding as a passenger in an operating motor vehicle, boat, aircraft or other vehicle used for transportation.

Is Marijuana Legal on Federal Land in Arizona?

Arizona’s marijuana legalization law does not override federal law.

Marijuana remains prohibited under federal law, meaning state legalization does not authorize possession or use on federally controlled property. This is particularly important for visitors to national parks, monuments and other federal lands in Arizona.

Tribal lands are also governed by the laws and policies of the applicable tribal government, rather than automatically by Arizona’s adult-use marijuana law.

Can You Drive After Using Marijuana in Arizona?

Driving while impaired by marijuana is illegal.

Arizona’s adult-use law specifically states that legalization does not allow driving, flying or boating while impaired to even the slightest degree by marijuana.

The presence of marijuana metabolites or components in a person’s body by itself is not enough for an adult-use marijuana violation based solely on those substances unless the person is also impaired to the slightest degree.

Legal marijuana possession does not provide a defense to impaired driving.

Can Local Governments Restrict Marijuana Businesses?

Yes. Arizona cities, towns and counties have authority to regulate commercial marijuana businesses within limits established by state law.

Local governments may enact zoning rules, limit the number of marijuana establishments, regulate their time, place and manner of operation and, in some circumstances, prohibit marijuana establishments entirely.

Local governments may also prohibit or restrict marijuana delivery within their jurisdictions.

These powers primarily concern commercial marijuana businesses. They do not give local governments unrestricted authority to prohibit personal conduct that Arizona’s statewide adult-use law expressly protects.

Can Employers and Landlords Restrict Marijuana?

Yes. Marijuana legalization does not require employers to allow marijuana use, possession or cultivation in the workplace.

Employers may maintain drug- and alcohol-free workplace policies and regulate marijuana-related conduct by employees and prospective employees, subject to other applicable laws.

Property owners and other people or entities controlling private property may also prohibit or regulate marijuana possession, use and cultivation on their property. This can include landlords restricting marijuana use or home cultivation in rental housing.

Are THCA, Delta-8 and Hemp-Derived THC Legal in Arizona?

Arizona does not generally allow unlicensed retailers to sell intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoids such as delta-8 THC. In a formal opinion, the Arizona Attorney General concluded that delta-8 and other hemp-synthesized intoxicants are controlled under state law and cannot legally be sold by convenience stores, smoke shops or other businesses that are not licensed to sell marijuana. The Attorney General later clarified that unlicensed sales of THC-infused edible and beverage products, including those containing delta-8 or delta-9 THC, are illegal.

Products marketed as high-THCA hemp flower also face Arizona’s hemp restrictions. The Arizona Department of Agriculture measures industrial hemp using total delta-9 THC, including the amount of THC that can result from the conversion of THCA. As a result, high-THCA flower that exceeds the state’s 0.3% total THC standard generally does not qualify as industrial hemp.

Arizona does separately allow adult-use marijuana for people 21 and older. Marijuana flower, concentrates, edibles and other approved THC products may be sold through state-licensed marijuana establishments, subject to Arizona’s marijuana regulations.

Can You Give Marijuana to Another Adult in Arizona?

Yes. Adults 21 and older may give up to one ounce of marijuana, including no more than five grams of marijuana concentrate, to another adult 21 or older as long as no money or other compensation is exchanged.

Adults may also give up to six marijuana plants to another adult 21 or older without payment. In either case, the transfer cannot be advertised or promoted to the public.

These protections allow adults to share marijuana but do not authorize unlicensed marijuana sales.

Can Police Search You Just Because They Smell Marijuana in Arizona?

Generally, no. Under Arizona law, the odor of marijuana or burnt marijuana by itself does not constitute reasonable suspicion that a crime has occurred.

The rule has an exception when a law enforcement officer is investigating a possible marijuana-impaired driving violation. Marijuana odor may also be considered alongside other circumstances, but odor alone generally does not establish reasonable suspicion of a crime.

Related Marijuana Laws and Protections

Residents should also be aware that legalization does not eliminate restrictions on impaired driving or guarantee workplace protections. See our guides to marijuana DUI laws by state and marijuana employment laws for a broader look at how Illinois compares with other states.

People with past marijuana convictions may also qualify for record-clearing relief. Our Marijuana Expungement Laws by State guide explains how all 50 states handle expungement and related relief.