Governor Maura Healey signed a declaration on Wednesday saying haggis was legal in Massachusetts, then said 24 hours later that the move was a joke. The episode briefly made why is haggis illegal in the US a live question for Scotland supporters in Boston, where the dish has been described as being in a 55-year American exile.
Healey wrote on Instagram that she had received countless messages from Massachusetts residents, Scotland supporters, legal experts, and at least one very concerned sheep. She added: "After careful review by my office, I am prepared to clarify that this was, in fact, a joke."
Maura Healey and Massachusetts
The declaration landed during a week when an estimated 50,000 Scotland fans descended on Boston. That crowd gave the stunt an audience far beyond Massachusetts, but the governor's clarification also pulled the story back to a basic legal puzzle: the declaration did not change any law, and it did not explain the rule that has kept haggis out of the United States.
Instead, the public record now shows two separate acts from Healey. First came the signed declaration. Then came the Instagram post that took it back. For readers trying to work out whether haggis can be bought or served in Massachusetts, the answer from this episode is that the governor did not make a legal change; she mocked the idea after briefly creating the impression that she had.
Boston Red Sox and Fenway Park
The Boston Red Sox were already part of the scene before the declaration was walked back. Scotland supporters attended Fenway Park on Sunday night, where the Boston Red Sox lost 6-4 to the Texas Rangers. Two days later, thousands of Scots returned for Pride Night as the Toronto Blue Jays played in Boston.
The pattern matters because it shows the declaration was dropped into an existing run of Scotland-linked events in Boston rather than into a formal policy fight. The next crowd talk in the background points to thousands descending on the Miami Marlins game next week in south Florida, but no official action on haggis was attached to that talk.
Scotland fans in Boston
Healey's joke worked because it met a live audience already following the Scotland presence in Boston. John McGinn, Josh Kantor, the Gay Gordons and Pride Night all sat within that week’s orbit, but the governor's post was the point where the legal joke broke through the sports coverage.
What remains on the page is simple: Massachusetts got a playful declaration, not a rule change. If haggis is still barred in the United States, the reason was not explained in Healey's posts, and that leaves the long-standing ban exactly where it started.
