HARRISBURG — Attorney General Dave Sunday joined a bipartisan coalition of 25 attorneys general and the City of New York in sending a letter to Shopify Inc., urging the company to take stronger action against merchants that use its services to sell illegal tobacco products, particularly e-cigarettes.
“Illegal e-cigarette sellers are targeting our communities — especially our children — and they’re using mainstream e-commerce platforms to do it. That has to stop,” Attorney General Sunday said. “Shopify has taken corrective action before, but the scale of this problem demands a stronger and more coordinated approach. We are asking Shopify to work with us so we can shut down illegal sellers, protect public health, and ensure that only lawful, regulated products are available to consumers.”
Shopify’s policies already prohibit merchants from using its services for unlawful activities, and Shopify has previously terminated e-cigarette sellers. However, in this letter, the coalition highlights that a more comprehensive solution is necessary because merchants continue to use Shopify’s services to sell illegal e-cigarettes. To address this ongoing problem, the coalition requests a meeting with Shopify to discuss a comprehensive, collaborative strategy for preventing illegal tobacco sales.
In the letter, the coalition:
- Identifies 29 illegal e-cigarette websites that are currently hosted on Shopify’s platform. This list is not exhaustive.
- Provides an exhibit identifying over 200 additional websites known to sell illegal tobacco products. This list is also not exhaustive.
- Offers to partner with Shopify by helping to identify sellers if Shopify enters a cooperative agreement with the coalition.
E-cigarettes are highly addictive, pose significant health risks – especially to youth – and are regulated accordingly. States and local governments across the country have enacted strong laws to curb illegal e-cigarette sales.
In Pennsylvania, the Office of Attorney General supports House Bill 1425, sponsored by Rep. Jeanne McNeil (D-Lehigh), which recently passed the House and is now before the Senate for consideration. HB 1425 would create a statewide directory of lawful Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS). Modeled after Pennsylvania’s widely effective Tobacco Product Directory — which lists all federally compliant cigarette brands permitted for sale — the ENDS Directory would help ensure that only legal, regulated products are sold within the Commonwealth. The Office of Attorney General would administer and enforce the directory, strengthening the Commonwealth’s ability to combat illegal tobacco sales.
Joining Attorney General Sunday in sending today’s letter to Shopify, which is co-led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the City of New York, are the attorneys general of Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
A copy of the letter can be found here.
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