2026-36 ATTORNEY GENERAL ANNE LOPEZ WELCOMES SHOPIFY BAN ON ALL E-CIGARETTE SALES, FOLLOWING CALL FOR ACTION

STATE OF HAWAIʻI

KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR

KE KIAʻĀINA

DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

KA ʻOIHANA O KA LOIO KUHINA

ANNE LOPEZ

ATTORNEY GENERAL

LOIO KUHINA

ATTORNEY GENERAL ANNE LOPEZ WELCOMES SHOPIFY BAN ON ALL E-CIGARETTE SALES, FOLLOWING CALL FOR ACTION

News Release 2026-36

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 24, 2026

HONOLULU - As part of a bipartisan coalition of 25 attorneys general and the City of New York, Attorney General Lopez today welcomed Shopify's decision to ban the sale of all vaping products, including e-cigarettes, through its e-commerce platform. The decision is a direct response to the coalition's November 2025 call for stronger safeguards . Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, Shopify describes itself as "a commerce platform that helps you sell online and in person" and explains that "[e]ntrepreneurs, retailers, and global brands use Shopify to make sales, run stores, and grow their businesses."

"This announcement is a significant victory for public health and consumer protection," said Department of the Attorney General's Tobacco Enforcement Unit Supervisor Chelsea Okamoto. "By removing e-cigarette sales from its platform, Shopify is helping prevent unlawful sales and reducing youth access to highly addictive nicotine products. We commend Shopify for listening to our concerns and taking meaningful action to protect young people."

E-cigarettes are highly addictive and pose significant health risks, particularly to youth and are therefore subject to strict regulation.

At the federal level, every new tobacco product, such as an e-cigarette, must receive an order from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorizing its marketing and sale in the United States. To date, the FDA has authorized 45 specific e-cigarette products, all of which are for adult smokers only. E-cigarettes that have not received approval from the FDA, which constitute essentially all e-cigarettes offered by online sellers, are deemed "adulterated." Federal law prohibits the receipt or delivery in interstate commerce of any adulterated tobacco product and delivery or proffered delivery of adulterated tobacco products is accordingly unlawful under United States law.

States in the coalition, as well as local governments within the states, have passed laws to mitigate the sale of e-cigarettes. Two pending legislative measures, SB2175 and HB1573, await Governor Josh Green's signature and are poised to fundamentally reshape the legal landscape for electronic smoking devices (ESDs) and e-liquid sales across Hawai'i.

SB2175 addresses significant environmental and health problems by banning the sale of disposable ESDs in Hawai'i beginning on January 1, 2027. HB1573 would establish an ESD and e-liquid directory that aligns with the FDA's list of authorized e-cigarette products. ESDs and e-liquids not included in the directory would be prohibited from sale and subject to seizure, with violators facing penalties for noncompliance with the law.

AG Lopez was joined in the November 2025 letter to Shopify by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

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