Welcome to Breazy Briefs, where we take a look around the globe, searching for news, science, and the occasional tasty pop culture tidbit related to vaping and the life of vapers. Today, let's talk about…

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…Juul, because we're always talking about the cigalike behemoth that's singlehandedly transforming the vapor industry. The company says it has no plans to relocate from its San Francisco headquarters, despite the city doing literally everything in its means to force the firm out. That includes a first-in-the-nation ban on flavored e-liquids a proposal that would even ban the company from renting office space owned by local governments, and even a potential ban of all vapor products citywide, flavored or not. JUUL employs approximately 1200 San Franciscans and appears to be prepared for another protracted battle.

Science: researchers say that the nicotine found in vapor products can lead the mucus and phlegm in your body to thicken, which makes it difficult to clear airways. Similar conditions are associated with smoking nicotine products like cigarettes, but scientists say the problem could be more acute with vaping. Particularly with ultra-high salt nicotine products, a user might inhale more nicotine during a vaping session than by smoking a cigarette – because nicotine is actually absorbed into the bloodstream less efficiently by vaping than by smoking, that means even more residual nicotine is left to be cleared by mucus, increasing the potential risk for illnesses like bronchitis.

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Four e-liquid companies received warning letters from the Food and Drug Administration last week accusing them of using social media influencers, or paid shills with numerous followers, to recommend their flavors. Facing accusations that it was marketing to children, Juul abandoned its social media presence last year, they were notably not one of the targeted companies. There's no indication that any of the influencers were underage or targeting their posts at underage individuals, though they are accused of making their paid recommendations without including the required disclaimer about nicotine's addictive nature (like the one you see right here at the top of the page).

Much as a troubled youth in generations past have always been more likely to smoke, researchers have concluded that teens suffering maltreatment in the form of abuse or neglect are more likely to vape than their peers. It makes sense: children with strong, supportive role models, even if those role models happen to vape themselves, should be hearing early and often about the reasons vaping is a bad idea unless you're an adult smoker transitioning away from conventional tobacco.

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We've told stories on this blog in the past about celebrities being caught vaping on a plane (you can't do that) without facing serious consequences. The same can't be said for this Florida man, who found himself banned for life from Spirit Airlines after setting off a lavatory smoke alarm and allegedly being caught exhaling the vapor into a paper bag. This wasn't his only crime; he was also spotted consuming alcohol from numerous small bottles smuggled onto a plane. Because he was cooperative with arresting authorities on the ground, no further charges were filed.

The FDA last week issued new guidelines in an attempt to help e-cig suppliers comply with existing law. We'll note here that while no vapor products are officially banned in the US, the number of products that legally exist is also zero, leaving manufacturers in a perpetual state of limbo. The main target of the federal regulations, it seems, is the ultra high-nicotine nic salts ejuice closed-system products that are overwhelmingly popular with teens…

British American Tobacco, the world's second-largest tobacco supplier, says it expects demand for tobacco products to continue to decline this year, though the associated revenue drop will largely be offset by growing demand for vapor products. Good.

We'll cap it here for this week. Be sure to stay tuned in to Breazy Briefs, where we're fixing the news as fast as others can break it…