Since then,three more young people have died after taking drugs at music festivals in NSW and one man has died in Victoria.
"Advice was received from stakeholders about festival attendees’ behaviour in relation to police enforcement methods,including anecdotes of people hurriedly consuming drugs to avoid detection. Provision of on-the-spot fines for possession of prohibited drugs at music festivals provides for a harm reduction approach,"read the panel's report.
But experts have criticised the change saying it will be ineffective at combating music festival deaths,ahead of its introduction at the Harder Styles United event on Saturday at Sydney's Olympic Park.
"Young people are undeterred by strong policing,"Drug Policy Australia director Greg Chipp said.
"It is fanciful and dangerous for Gladys Berejiklian to argue that on-the-spot fines or other policing tactics will either stop people taking a drug or make it safer when they inevitably do."
Noffs Foundation chief executive Matt Noffs said that while the move would reduce harm in terms of not clogging up the court system or impacting on young peoples'futures,it would not impact the physiological harm of drugs at festivals.