Attorney General Ellison welcomes Shopify ban on all e-cigarette sales, following call for action
AG Ellison called for Shopify to stop selling illegal e-cigarettes in November 2025
June 24, 2026 (SAINT PAUL) — As part of a bipartisan coalition of 25 attorneys general and the City of New York, Attorney General Ellison 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.”
"I’m pleased that Shopify has responded to my calls and those of my fellow attorneys general to stop selling products that are harming children and teenagers throughout Minnesota,” said Attorney General Ellison. “For decades, Minnesota had been making tremendous progress in halting youth nicotine use, right up until e-cigarette manufactures deliberately targeted and addicted a generation of young people. That’s completely unacceptable, and it is why I have taken numerous e-cigarette manufacturers to court to hold them accountable for the harms they’re causing. I will continue to do everything in my power to stand up to any company that seeks to turn a profit by preying on our children.”
E-cigarettes are highly addictive and pose significant health risks, particularly to youth, and are therefore subject to strict regulation. States in the coalition, as well as local governments within the states, have passed laws to mitigate the sale of e-cigarettes. For example, in 2024, Minnesota passed a law that prohibits the advertising, sale, or distribution of e-cigarettes that are described or depicted as imitating candy, desserts, or beverages that are commonly marketed to minors, that imitate school supplies, or that are based on or describe characters that appeal to minors.
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.
Background on Attorney General Ellison’s work to protect young people from e-cigarettes
Attorney General Ellison has repeatedly taken action to protect young Minnesotans from e-cigarettes. In December of 2019, Attorney General Ellison filed a lawsuit against e-cigarette manufacturer JUUL for deliberately and illegally marketing their addictive and harmful products to young people, and a year later, the state added JUUL’s parent company, tobacco giant Altria, as a defendant. In March of 2023, the case went to trial and Attorney General Ellison delivered the opening statement on behalf of the state of Minnesota, which he led by saying that “Juul and Altria hooked Minnesotan children on e-cigarettes — so they could make money.” In May of that year, Minnesota reached a historic $60.5 million settlement with JUUL and Altria, which was the highest settlement per capita any state reached with the companies. The funds from the $60.5 million settlement were put towards smoking and vaping cessation programs for youth.
On August 29, 2024, Attorney General Keith Ellison sent a letter to more than 5,000 tobacco distributors and retailers, asking them to stop distributing, marketing, and selling unauthorized and illegal flavored tobacco products in Minnesota. The letter warned that the sale of tobacco products meant to appeal to youth may violate several laws, including Minnesota’s new deceptive vapor law.
In January of 2025, Attorney General Ellison filed a consumer protection lawsuit against High Light Vapes, an e-cigarette manufacturer that sold e-cigarettes designed to look like highlighters so students could more easily conceal e-cigarettes at school. In April of 2025, Attorney General Ellison announced he reached a settlement with High Light Vapes that banned the company from doing any business in the state of Minnesota.
A promotional photo from High Light Vapes, which illustrates how closely they mimic highlighters
The November 2025 letter to Shopify was co-led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the City of New York. Joining them in addition to Attorney General Ellison were the attorneys general of Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
