WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – At least 28 illegal e-cigarette websites are currently being hosted on the e-commerce platform Shopify, with an additional 200 websites selling illegal tobacco products, according to North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson.
The North Carolina Department of Justice (NCDOJ) announced Monday, Nov. 24, that Jackson, along with a bipartisan coalition of 25 attorneys general, sent a letter to Shopify encouraging stronger action against digital vendors using its service to sell illegal tobacco products.
NCDOJ states that the Department of Revenue must certify e-cigarette manufacturers before they can be sold in the state, and that, because the sale of e-cigarettes to individuals under 18 is illegal, internet sellers are required to conduct age verification before selling their products.
“If states and the federal government create laws to protect our residents, companies can’t sidestep those for their own profit,” said Jackson. “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 letter asks Shopify to find a solution to keep merchants from selling unlawful products on its platform.
The coalition includes attorneys general from California, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the city of New York.
Copyright 2025 WECT. All rights reserved.
