Arizona's Opioid Crisis: Facts, Resources, and How to Get Help

Arizona has long sat at the intersection of the nation’s opioid crisis. As a border state with major highways connecting it to Mexican drug trafficking organizations, Arizona faces a disproportionate supply of illicitly manufactured fentanyl, heroin, and other opioids. The human cost has been devastating. Understanding the scope of the crisis — and knowing where to turn — can save lives.

The Numbers: Arizona’s Overdose Death Toll

The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) tracks overdose deaths through the State Opioid Response program and publishes detailed data at least quarterly. In recent reporting periods, Arizona has recorded more than 2,800 drug overdose deaths annually, with synthetic opioids — primarily illicitly manufactured fentanyl — present in the vast majority of cases.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) includes Arizona among the states with overdose death rates that have increased dramatically since 2019, consistent with the national wave of fentanyl flooding drug markets. Arizona’s rate of opioid overdose deaths per 100,000 residents has climbed steadily each year since 2013, accelerating sharply after 2019 when fentanyl displaced heroin as the dominant illicit opioid.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that opioid overdose deaths in the Western United States, including Arizona, are driven overwhelmingly by illicitly manufactured fentanyl rather than prescription opioids — a significant shift from the earlier phase of the opioid crisis.

How the Crisis Affects Different Parts of Arizona

Maricopa County

Maricopa County (the Phoenix metro area) accounts for the largest share of Arizona’s overdose deaths simply due to population. The Maricopa County Department of Public Health tracks emergency department visits for opioid-related causes and has documented sustained high rates since 2020. Phoenix’s status as a major transportation hub — served by I-10, I-17, and I-8 — makes it a distribution point for fentanyl moving from the southern border northward.

Pima County

Pima County (Tucson) sits closer to the U.S.-Mexico border and experiences the opioid crisis in ways shaped by its geography. The University of Arizona and Pima County Health Department collaborate on overdose surveillance. Tucson has been proactive in naloxone distribution and harm reduction, operating one of Arizona’s more active syringe service programs.

Rural Arizona

Rural counties — including Mohave, Yavapai, Navajo, Apache, and Coconino — face a distinct challenge: high overdose rates combined with far fewer treatment resources. The ADHS Opioid Dashboard shows that rural Arizonans are less likely to receive medication-assisted treatment (MAT) after a non-fatal overdose than their urban counterparts, a disparity linked to access rather than need.

Tribal communities face particular challenges. Native American Arizonans have historically faced some of the highest rates of substance use disorder in the state, compounded by historical trauma, economic hardship, and inadequate access to culturally competent care. Several tribes have implemented their own opioid response programs in partnership with the Indian Health Service (IHS).

What Makes Fentanyl So Deadly

As the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) explains, fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. A fatal dose can be as small as two milligrams — invisible to the naked eye. Fentanyl is now routinely pressed into counterfeit pills that are indistinguishable from legitimate prescription medications.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reports that in Arizona, as nationwide, approximately six in ten counterfeit pills tested contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl. Arizona law enforcement has seized millions of fentanyl pills in recent years at ports of entry and along trafficking routes.

Fentanyl has also been found in cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA supplies in Arizona, putting people at risk of an opioid overdose even when they believe they are using a completely different drug.

Arizona’s Overdose Good Samaritan Law

Arizona’s Good Samaritan law (ARS § 13-3423) provides limited legal protection to people who call 911 to report a drug overdose. Under this law, the person who calls for help — and the person experiencing the overdose — may not be arrested for drug possession offenses.

The intent of the law is to remove barriers to calling for emergency help. Fear of arrest is a significant reason people delay or avoid calling 911 during an overdose, and these delays cost lives.

Naloxone Access in Arizona

Naloxone (Narcan) is the life-saving medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. In Arizona, naloxone is available without a prescription under a statewide standing order, meaning any Arizonan can obtain it at a pharmacy without seeing a doctor first.

Naloxone is available at:

Most major pharmacy chains (Walgreens, CVS, Fry’s/Kroger, Walmart)
Community health centers and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)
ADHS-funded harm reduction programs
Sonoran Prevention Works (Tucson and Pima County)
MATFORCE (Prescott/Yavapai County)

The ADHS, in partnership with Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided With Naloxone), distributes free naloxone kits at multiple sites throughout Arizona. Training in how to recognize an overdose and administer naloxone takes about 15 minutes and is widely offered.

Fentanyl Test Strips

Fentanyl test strips can detect the presence of fentanyl in drug samples before use. Arizona has made policy changes to support harm reduction, including access to test strips through community organizations.

Organizations including Sonoran Prevention Works and Arizona Harm Reduction Coalition provide fentanyl test strips along with education about how to interpret results.

Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Arizona

Effective treatment is available throughout Arizona. Opioid use disorder is one of the most treatable forms of addiction when the right interventions are used.

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is the clinical gold standard. SAMHSA and NIDA recommend MAT — combining FDA-approved medications with behavioral therapy — as the most effective approach for opioid use disorder.

Buprenorphine (Suboxone): Widely available in Arizona through addiction medicine specialists, community health centers, and an increasing number of primary care practices. The ADHS has supported expansion of buprenorphine prescribing capacity statewide.
Methadone: Dispensed through licensed Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs) in the Phoenix and Tucson areas.
Naltrexone (Vivitrol): A monthly injection that blocks opioid effects; available through addiction medicine providers and some criminal justice programs.

The SAMHSA Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator at findtreatment.gov and the ADHS Behavioral Health Services directory at azdhs.gov are the best places to find state-licensed treatment providers in your area.

Getting Help: Where to Start

Knowing that treatment exists and actually accessing it are two different things. If you are ready to take the first step, here is a simple path:

Call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 (free, confidential, 24/7) for referrals to local treatment.
Contact the ADHS Behavioral Health Referral Line for Arizona-specific resources.
Call a local Community Behavioral Health Organization (CBHO) — Arizona’s AHCCCS-funded treatment networks operate throughout the state.
Visit an emergency room if you or someone else is in immediate danger.

Ready to Get Help?

Arizona has treatment options for every situation, every budget, and every county. The path to recovery starts with a single call.

Call the Arizona Addiction Hotline now. Our specialists know Arizona’s treatment landscape and are ready to help you find care — 24 hours a day, completely confidentially. Recovery is possible, and it starts today.

Sources: Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), Opioid Dashboard and State Opioid Response; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Drug Overdose Surveillance Data; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Maricopa County Department of Public Health; Pima County Health Department; Indian Health Service (IHS).