Joe Velarde

There’s nothing special about Joe, just that he loves to write. He figured as a boy, that his singing voice would never get him into Julliard, so he wrote. You’ll often see him in strange places, surrounded by strange people who resemble space pirates, claiming to be Al Pacino’s love child. In his spare time, he likes to pretend to read poetry. Joe plans to graduate this May 2009 with a degree in communication and a minor in creative writing at the University of Texas at El Paso. Afterwards, he plans to melt brains with random Iron Maiden lyrics, on tour with Joaquin Phoenix.

Take two and call me in the morning: Prescription drug abuse in America is on the rise

By Joe Velarde | April 29, 2009

Hydrocodone or dihydrocodeinone, a semi-synthetic opiate derived from naturally-occurring codeine and thebaine, is usually administered as an analgesic for patients recovering from painful injuries and after surgery. Lately though, along with other pain relievers and tranquilizers such as Xanax and Oxycontin, Hydrocodone, or Vicodin has taken center stage as the new vogue-drug among teenagers, college students and professional adults, according to a recent Texas report on prescription drug abuse.