Sovereign Health Announces the Launch of a New Editorial in the 'Uncovering U-4' Series

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., Jan. 31, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sovereign Health, a national behavioral health system, is pleased to announce the second installment in the local news series, "Uncovering U-4: The tip of the synthetic and psychoactive substance iceberg," is now live. Although the patented compound U-4 is now on the Drug Enforcement Administration's radar as illegal for U.S. manufacture and purchase, slight variances of the substance are continuously surfacing and thus making drug enforcement, overdose fatalities and street purchases near impossible to trace.

The second article focuses on how the government remains powerless to do anything to curb the growing problem, and how Americans have no choice but to protect themselves.

The recent tragic loss of Orange County college student Natasha Heim has helped bring to light the dangers of U-4 and other such substances. As of November 2016, U-4 has been temporarily placed on Schedule I for 24 to 36 months. The DEA's scheduling system consists of five categories into which various substances fall, with Schedule I substances having no known medicinal value and a high potential for causing physical dependency.

A few key points to know about U-4 and similar substances:

• They may contain toxic additives.
• They are sometimes referred to as designer drugs.
• They may or may not be detectable on urine drug screens.
• They most often have not been tested for safety in humans or even animals.
• The manufacturing process is unregulated, so concentrations vary from very low to lethal levels.

Sovereign Health cares about the issues and concerns of local residents about what goes on in their communities. The first of the three online articles is called, "Uncovering U-4: O.C. local succumbs to opioid substance that's skimming through legal loopholes." You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, and track the discussion by searching for hashtags #StopU4 and #SovTalk.

About the Authors

Dana Connolly, Ph.D., is a senior staff writer for Sovereign Health, where she translates current research into practical information.

Wade Sands is the content manager for Sovereign Health. Throughout his career, he's held court on a wide range of topics, from video games and real estate to addiction and behavioral health treatment.

About Sovereign Health

Sovereign Health's mission is to provide a broad spectrum of high-quality behavioral health treatment services for adults and adolescents, including support services for family members. One factor that differentiates Sovereign from other treatment providers has been the company's ability to offer separate mental health and addiction or dual diagnosis treatment programs at its facilities. For more information, visit www.SovHealth.com.

SOURCE Sovereign Health

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