The state has cut funding for smoking cessation programs from $17 million to $2.7 million. The local daily believes that is bad because over the last decade the number of secondary school children who smoke has been halved. The decline is attributed to programs that connect teen smokers with peers in school. It is argued that the lack of funding will prevent any successful techniques that have been learned from being shared in future classes. The lack of funding also prevented student activists from attending the Asheville City Council meeting that banned tobacco sponsorships from Bele Chere and even prevented them from learning about council’s vote via a paid administrator.