You cannot sell prescription drugs, tobacco to minors, unlicensed alcohol, or cannabis products where they are illegal, and you need the proper licenses for any regulated substance sales.
Merchants selling cannabis, alcohol, tobacco, or pharmaceutical products bear full responsibility for obtaining and maintaining all required licenses, with no safe harbor provided by Shopify — a violation discovered during an audit could result in immediate account suspension and loss of all sales infrastructure.
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Compare across platforms →This provision requires merchants to hold applicable licenses for regulated substance sales and places the compliance burden entirely on the merchant, with account termination as the consequence for unlicensed activity.
REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: This provision engages the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. § 801), DEA regulations (21 C.F.R. Part 1300), FDA regulations on prescription drugs (21 C.F.R. Parts 200-499), the Federal Alcohol Administration Act (27 U.S.C. § 201), TTB regulations for alcohol licensing, state cannabis regulatory frameworks (e.g., California DCC, Colorado MED), and the Preventing Online Sales of E-Cigarettes to Children Act. The DEA, FDA, TTB, FTC, and state licensing authorities hold concurrent enforcement authority.
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