Utah Attorney General Derek Brown and a coalition of 24 state attorneys general have successfully pressured Shopify to ban all e-cigarette sales on its e-commerce platform. The policy change directly responds to a November 2025 demand targeting illegal online vape sales.
Under federal law, e-cigarettes must receive marketing authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before they can be legally sold in the United States. To date, the FDA has authorized only 45 specific e-cigarette products, which are restricted to adult smokers.
Because virtually all vapes sold online lack this FDA approval, federal law classifies them as "adulterated." Shipping or receiving these unauthorized tobacco products across state lines violates federal interstate commerce laws, making their sale on platforms like Shopify illegal.
Attorney General Brown criticized online platforms for profiting from youth addiction. The coalition, which includes New York City and states such as Arizona, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington, plans to target other e-commerce platforms to enforce similar bans.
