In 2001, it was estimated that about a ton (907 kg) of khat was shipped into Great Britain every day. Concerned about khat abuse in the United Kingdom, some people within the Somali and Yemeni communities called for the UK to align itself with most other Western countries and ban khat. In 2001, a petition urging the government to outlaw the plant circulated in the northwest of England. As of early 2002, however, khat was still legal and available at some grocery and general stores, where it is sold alongside the vegetables and herbs.