Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) is a small, spineless cactus known for its button-like appearance and psychoactive mescaline. Its blue-green or yellowish-green stems typically measure 5 to 15 centimeters in diameter. For over 5,000 years, indigenous cultures have used peyote in traditional ceremonies for its spiritual and healing significance.
Peyote’s Native Range and Arizona
Peyote does not grow naturally in Arizona. Its native distribution is limited to southern North America, primarily within the Chihuahuan Desert region. This natural habitat spans across northern Mexico, including the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas. In the United States, peyote’s natural occurrence is restricted to a narrow strip of land in South Texas, largely following the Rio Grande. Texas is the only U.S. state where peyote occurs naturally in the wild.
Peyote thrives in arid desert scrub environments, often found on or near limestone hills and in shallow, rocky limestone soils. It typically grows at elevations ranging from 100 to 1,500 meters, though it can occasionally be found up to 1,900 meters. Arizona’s climate and geographical features generally fall outside these conditions. Therefore, any presence of peyote in Arizona would be the result of cultivation, such as at a Phoenix facility growing it for research and conservation, often in collaboration with Native American tribes.
Legal and Conservation Status of Peyote
In the United States, peyote is a Schedule I controlled substance under the federal Controlled Substances Act of 1970. This classification means it has a high potential for abuse, no accepted medical use, and no accepted safety for medical supervision. Consequently, public possession, cultivation, and distribution of peyote are generally illegal, with unauthorized use leading to severe penalties.
An exemption exists for the religious use of peyote by members of the Native American Church. The American Indian Religious Freedom Act Amendments of 1994 (Public Law 103-344) solidified this protection, affirming Native Americans’ right to use peyote for traditional ceremonial purposes. This exemption, codified in federal regulations, allows Church members to possess, transport, and use peyote for spiritual practices without federal prosecution.
Peyote is considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. This slow-growing cactus faces threats from habitat destruction, including land conversion for agriculture, grazing, and urban development. Overharvesting, for both traditional and illicit purposes, also contributes to the decline of wild populations, especially in South Texas, where it is endangered at the state level in some areas. To regulate trade and protect the species, peyote is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which monitors trade to ensure its survival. Mexico also legally protects peyote under its national list of species at risk of extinction, categorizing it as “subject to special protection.”