New York Attorney General Letitia James is leading a bipartisan initiative calling on credit card companies to help curb the sale of illegal vaping products.

She and a coalition of 24 attorneys sent letters to companies including American Express, Capitol One, Citi Group, Mastercard, Visa, PayPal, Stripe, Sezzle and Block.

They urge companies to take immediate action to “block unlawful transactions that enable the distribution of illegal vaping products, particularly to young people.”

“Right now, vape sellers are using mainstream payment systems to sell products that shouldn’t be on the market in the first place to kids,” said James. “Our nation's children need to be protected from these addictive and dangerous products. If you are helping process the payment, then you are part of the pipeline. These companies have the power to shut this down, and they must act accordingly.”

Federal law requires e-cigarette products to receive FDA authorization before they can be legally marketed or sold in the United States.

A press release from the Attorney General’s Office notes that the FDA has only authorized 41 products to date, “none in flavors other than tobacco or menthol, meaning the vast majority of vapor products sold are illegal.”

Products without FDA authorization are considered “adulterated” under federal law and “cannot be legally sold or shipped in interstate commerce.”

James says New York led a similar, successful effort to get credit card companies to reduce online cigarette sales in 2005.

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