Attorney General William Tong has joined a bipartisan group of 25 attorneys general and the City of New York in urging Shopify Inc. to take more effective measures against merchants selling illegal tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, through its platform.
Shopify, based in Ottawa, Canada, offers an online commerce platform used by various businesses to sell goods. While the company prohibits unlawful activities on its platform, officials say that some merchants continue to use Shopify’s services to distribute illegal e-cigarettes.
Attorney General Tong’s latest action follows his ongoing efforts to address the sale of unauthorized nicotine products. Many flavored nicotine items are manufactured overseas—primarily in China—and imported into the United States without following the Food and Drug Administration’s marketing order process. These products are considered adulterated and unlawful for sale but remain widely available.
In January, Attorney General Tong launched an investigation into several Connecticut smoke shops and wholesalers found selling high-potency disposable e-cigarettes designed to attract young consumers. The investigation is still underway.
“These bootleg vapes are illegally imported, untested and unsafe, and legitimate businesses should not have any part in facilitating their sale,” said Attorney General Tong. “We’re going to keep doing everything we can to shutoff the supply and distribution of these illegal products.”
The coalition’s letter identifies 29 websites hosted on Shopify that allegedly sell illegal e-cigarettes. California has notified these sites about violations of federal and state laws. The letter also includes information about over 200 additional websites known for selling unlawful tobacco products and notes that this list is not comprehensive. The attorneys general offered assistance in identifying further illegal sellers.
A new Connecticut law expands the ban on direct-to-consumer delivery of cigarettes to include e-cigarettes as of July 1, 2025. Using Shopify’s consumer delivery services for distributing e-cigarettes will violate this updated regulation.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the City of New York co-led this effort with support from attorneys general representing Arizona, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Puerto Rico.
Assistant Attorneys General Amor Rosario and Heather Wilson are supporting Attorney General Tong in this initiative.
