Shopify to ban vapes as US authorities crack down on illegal e-cigarettes industry
London: Shopify Inc will ban all vapes from its platform as soon as this week after pressure from a group of U.S. state attorneys general aiming to curb sales of illegal e-cigarettes online, according to two sources familiar with its plans.
The Ottawa-based company provides the underlying infrastructure that lets millions of merchants operate and scale e-commerce channels. It has been in talks since last year with a bipartisan coalition of 25 state attorneys general, who have been pushing Shopify to do more to clamp down on a booming market for vapes that lack the legally required licence for U.S. sales, or violate other laws.
