Scotland for the win: Massachusetts becomes first US state to 'legalise' haggis
The Scottish staple has been illegal in the US since the 1970s. Following a pre-World Cup campaign by one of Scotland's leading butchers and the efforts of a Scottish podcaster, Massachusetts has become the first US state to finally legalise haggis. Officially. Ish.
Published on 18/06/2026 - 15:44 GMT+2
The Scots have only gone and done it.
No, we’re not talking about Scotland's first game win against Haiti last Sunday for their first World Cup game since 1998.
We’re referring to the fact that the Tartan Army has managed to make haggis legal again. In one US state. For now...
Last month, we reported how one of Scotland’s leading butchers, Simon Howie Butchers, had launched a campaign for the US to legalise haggis ahead of the World Cup.
The not immediately appealing but downright delicious Scottish delicacy has been illegal in the US since the 1970s, due to federal food regulations relating to the consumption of offal – specifically sheep lung, which constitutes up to 15 per cent of the traditional haggis recipe.
Now, David McIntosh Jr, a Scottish podcaster and Tartan Army member, met with the governor of Massachusetts Maura Healey. Healey went on to sign an "executive order" on Wednesday to make haggis legal.
In a video posted on social media by McIntosh Jr from the State House in Boston, Healey can be seen signing the paper. The caption read: "We've made haggis legal in Massachusetts. [Un]official."
While individual states do not have the power to legalise haggis, since food safety and import standards are governed at a federal level, it’s a start.
Governor Healey previously applauded the arrival of Scottish fans for the World Cup.
“The Tartan Army has brought the energy, joy, and enthusiasm to Massachusetts," she said. "This is truly what the World Cup is all about.”
She added: “Between the bagpipes, the kilts, and thousands of Scotland fans turning Boston into their home away from home, the Tartan Army has made quite an impression on Massachusetts.”
Indeed, more than 20,000 Scotland fans travelled to Massachusetts for Scotland’s first game at Boston Stadium, and as well as enjoying the football, the Tartan Army have been making the most of their time in the US... by drinking them dry.
A number of bars in Boston have reported that they have been running low on beer since the Scots arrived. Last week, a new law (the “Tartan Army Bill”) was passed allowing more than 140 bars and restaurants to stay open longer.
The Tartan Army has also brought another tradition to Boston: traffic cones as headgear.
Fans have started placing orange traffic cones on the heads of statues in the city - a tradition associated with the statue of the Duke of Wellington outside the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow. Since the late 1980s, a cone has been atop the statue’s head. It is deligently replaced whenever it is removed.
Scotland’s next game is on Saturday 20 June against Morocco, also at Boston Stadium. The team currently top Group C, following their win against Haiti and Brazil’s draw against Morocco.
