Substance use in the Traveller community has been increasingly identified as a key issue by Traveller families, local and national Traveller organisations, as well as drug services around the country.1 In 2024, the Eastern Region Traveller Health Unit (ERTHU), Health Service Executive and Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre (‘Pavee Point’) commissioned national research to examine Traveller substance use, its prevalence, causes, impacts, and the current gaps in support and services. The purpose of the research was to provide an evidence-based understanding of the current challenges and provide clear recommendations for change in line with Action 13 in the Eastern Region Traveller Health Action Plan, 2023-2027.2 The research was undertaken by Trinity College Dublin, using a mixed methods approach, and confirms what Pavee Point, other Traveller organisations, and drugs services have reported: that substance misuse is a significant issue for Travellers across Ireland. Key findings include:

• Travellers account for 2.5% of all treatment episodes recorded in the Health Research Board’s (HRB) National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS) between 2008 and 2024. This is concerning when we consider that Travellers represent less than 1% of the total population in Ireland. It means that they are overrepresented in addiction treatment data. Furthermore, the figures are also likely an underestimation of the true problem most likely due to difficulties accessing services and reluctance to self-identify their ethnicity.
• More than half of Travellers recorded in the NDTRS treatment data are already parents by the time they seek treatment.
• A lower proportion of Travellers completed treatment (35%) compared to the general population (47%).
• NDTRS data also shows changes in trends in drug use: with Travellers reporting higher rates of polydrug use and a significant rise in Travellers accessing treatment for cocaine.
• Travellers who participated in the qualitative study spoke of the normalisation of drug use in the community. Their reflections mirrored the NDTRS quantitative data, citing significant changes in the types of drugs that people are taking, a concerning rise in cocaine use (particularly for men), and a rise in prescription opioid use for women. 
• The qualitative findings also highlighted personal causes and impacts such as poor mental health and high suicide rates, as well as the negative community consequences such as increased violence, drug debts, and the impacts of criminality.
• Key stakeholders acknowledged the impacts of structural racism and the social determinants of health and their role in Traveller substance use, as well the barriers they create for Travellers seeking support.
• Stakeholders discussed the need for effective implementation of current policy, as well as greater support for community organisations, particularly Traveller organisations and Traveller workers.