A coalition of U.S. state attorneys general, including those from California, Illinois, Arizona, New York, and the District of Columbia, has formally urged e-commerce platform Shopify to stop facilitating the sale of illegal vape products. In a letter, the officials requested Shopify to work with them on an ongoing basis to remove clients selling e-cigarettes that lack necessary government licenses or violate other U.S. laws.
Currently, the FDA has authorized only 39 e-cigarette products for legal sale in the U.S. However, the market remains flooded with unregulated devices, particularly disposable, flavored vapes often manufactured in China. "By addressing unlawful e-cigarette sales at their point of origin, we can make progress faster and more effectively," stated California Attorney General Rob Bonta. While acknowledging Shopify's removal of some sellers identified in April, the signatories emphasized the need for a "more comprehensive solution" to address public health risks.
This move is part of a broader crackdown on the multi-billion-dollar unregulated vape industry, which has seen recent actions including major raids, tariffs on Chinese imports, and blocks by the U.S. Postal Service. The attorneys general indicated plans to seek similar agreements with other web hosting providers.
