• Shopify set to ban vapes from its web hosting platform, two sources said
  • Geographic scope of the expected ban unclear
  • In the U.S., ban covers both legal and illegal vapes, sources said

Shopify Inc will ban all vapes from its platform as soon as this week following 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.