Press Release  After AG-Led Action, Shopify Bans E-Cigarette Sales

Boston — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today welcomed a decision by the e-commerce platform Shopify to ban the sale of all vaping products, including e-cigarettes, through its platform.  

The decision is a direct response to a letter sent by AG Campbell and a bipartisan coalition of 25 attorneys general and the City of New York to Shopify in November 2025, calling for stronger action on the sale of illegal tobacco products, particularly e-cigarettes. Shopify is an e-commerce platform headquartered in Ottawa, Canada that allows users to sell items online and in person. 

“E-cigarettes and vapes can have a detrimental impact on young people’s long-term health and brain development. I am extremely grateful that Shopify responded to our coalition’s concerns and took meaningful action to help protect young people from the harms of vaping products,” said AG Campbell.    

E-cigarettes are highly addictive and pose significant health risks, particularly to youth, and are therefore subject to strict regulation. States in the coalition, as well as local governments within the states, have taken action to mitigate the sale of e-cigarettes. In 2019, Massachusetts enacted regulations on the sale of flavored vaping and tobacco products, banning any retail sales of flavored nicotine products. 

At the federal level, every new tobacco product, such as an e-cigarette, must receive an order from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorizing its marketing and sale in the United States. To date, the FDA has authorized 45 specific e-cigarette products, all of which are for adult smokers only. E-cigarettes that have not received approval from the FDA, which constitute essentially all e-cigarettes offered by online sellers, are deemed “adulterated.” Federal law prohibits the receipt or delivery in interstate commerce of any adulterated tobacco product, and delivery or proffered delivery of adulterated tobacco products is accordingly unlawful under United States law. 

This matter is AG Campbell’s latest effort to protect and strengthen the health, safety, and well-being of youth. In April 2023, AG Campbell announced a $462 million settlement with JUUL Labs, Inc., for the company’s role in contributing to the youth vaping epidemic, securing $41 million for Massachusetts, and placing restrictions on the company’s practices in order to protect young people. Massachusetts was the first state to announce an investigation into JUUL Labs, Inc.’s harmful practices. In 2024, AG Campbell also secured a preliminary injunction against an online vaping company, barring the company from marketing, selling, and distributing flavored tobacco products in Massachusetts in violation of the state’s flavored tobacco ban.   

Joining AG Campbell in sending the November 2025 letter to Shopify were the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the City of New York.  

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