The series was dubbed one of the most egregious examples of on-screen tobacco use based on the results of a survey issued by the Truth Initiative in July 2019, referencing frequent depictions of Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) and Hawkins Police Chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour) smoking cigarettes in particular.
Despite widespread positive reception, Stranger Things 3 was not without its critics, but not so much from anything related to the story.
In response, Netflix released a statement that, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, that “all new projects that [they] commission with ratings of TV-14 or below for series or PG-13 or below for films, will be smoking [or vaping] free, except for reasons of historical or factual accuracy.”