More than 200 online stores who do business using e-commerce platform Shopify illegally sold electronic cigarettes or other tobacco products, circumventing age and safety requirements, according to a letter sent by North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson and the attorneys general of 25 other states Monday.
“These web-sellers made e-cigarette sales in violation of nearly every applicable federal, state and local law regulating e-cigarettes, even after being repeatedly warned of their unlawful conduct,” the attorneys general wrote.
The attorneys general wrote that while Shopify has taken action against specific online vendors brought to their attention in previous letters, “the sheer scope of the conduct and the significant injury to public health accomplished through online e-cigarette sales necessitates a more comprehensive solution.”
At least 28 illegal e-cigarette online stores were hosted directly on Shopify’s platform, they alleged, while another 200 used the company’s services to illegally sell tobacco products.
Under federal law, only 39 FDA-approved e-cigarettes are legal to sell across state lines, and they can only be sold to customers aged 21 years or older. The age limit within North Carolina is 18.
In a press release, Jackson’s office noted that e-cigarette manufacturers are required to be certified by the state Department of Revenue to operate in North Carolina, and that state law mandates age verification for online retailers who sell them.
“If states and the federal government create laws to protect our residents, companies can’t sidestep those for their own profit,” Jackson said. “We have protections against selling e-cigarettes to children because we know how harmful it is for them, and we need Shopify to step up and keep those products off of its platforms.”
The North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force noted in its 2025 report that 37% of high schoolers in the state say they have vaped, including more than half of seniors. The task force urged the state to raise the minimum age for sale of tobacco products to 21 to align with federal law.
Jackson and the 25 other attorneys general are seeking a meeting with Shopify to ask the commerce giant to terminate service to all current and future sellers violating tobacco laws. They offered to “undertake some of the effort” needed to identify vendors who violate the law.
Shopify did not respond to a request for comment on the letter. Their legal page states that all retailers selling e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine products must “comply with the laws and regulations that apply to your business.”
North Carolina’s first legal bout with e-cigarette sales came under then-Attorney General Josh Stein, who in 2021 won the first settlement in the nation against e-cigarette manufacturer Juul.
Juul ultimately paid $47.8 million to North Carolina for marketing to underaged customers, and agreed to more stringent marketing requirements such as refraining from advertising on social media, not marketing to those under 21, and verifying the age of all customers.
“Vaping is dangerous to kids’ health, and we must continue to do everything in our power to keep them nicotine free,” Stein said after the approval of additional funds in 2023.
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