Conceptualising drug market-related violence

Date: 16 June 2026, 14:30–16:00 Lisbon time (WEST) — 15:30–17:00 (CEST).

Objective: This webinar seeks to inform participants on the concept of drug market-related violence, how to conceptualise it and how to measure it.

Background: Drug market-related violence poses a persistent and evolving challenge to public health, criminal justice systems and international security. It encompasses a wide spectrum of violent phenomena, ranging from homicides and shootings linked to drug production and trafficking, to robberies committed to finance drug use, violent victimisation and offending associated with intoxication and dependency.

In conceptualising drug market-related violence, we will use the drug distribution chain as an organising framework for understanding how, and where, violence emerges within drug markets. We will differentiate between stages of the supply chain, recognising the varying mechanisms through which violence may arise at each level. From production to consumption, drug markets comprise multiple sites of potential conflict, each shaped by specific actors, incentives and constraints.

In this webinar, we will also devote attention to the various ways in which drug market-related violence can be measured at local, national and international level. We showcase and highlight the value of using granular geographical data for understanding where drug market-related violence concentrates and how it evolves over time.

In conversation with:

• Professor Dr Marieke Liem, Leiden University;
• Professor Dr Kim Moeller, Malmö University;
• Dr Mia Maria Magnusson, Malmö University.

Chairperson: Dr Teodora Groshkova, EUDA.

Opening remarks: Dr Teodora Groshkova, EUDA.

Organisers: Dr Teodora Groshkova (EUDA), Marieke Liem (Leiden University), Kim Moeller (Malmö University).

Support team: Marica Ferri, Anna Ferrara, Marco Costa, Silke Vitt (EUDA).