The mother of a 22-year-old man who died after taking drugs at a NSW music festival is calling for pill testing to be introduced and sniffer dogs to be scrapped at the events.

The measures are among several recommendations proposed by the NSW Deputy Coroner in a leaked draft document, following an inquest into the deaths of six young people at music festivals in NSW last summer. The document obtained by the Sydney Morning Herald has been seen by Hack.

Coroner's draft recommendations call for: Funding for permanent drug checking facilities

Removal of sniffer dogs at music festivals

Strip searches to only target those suspected of drug supply, not for personal use

The draft recommendations by NSW Coroner Harriet Grahame call for the Department of Premier and Cabinet to fund a permanent drug checking facility, similar to the Dutch model known as the Drug Information Monitoring System. In the Netherlands, this involves the testing of thousands of drugs at 30 offices around the country.

Julie Tam, whose son Josh Tam died at the Lost Paradise festival in December, said while it was important to wait for the coroner's final recommendations in November, she was keen to see the measures implemented.

"If pill testing is one of the recommendations based on what the coroner's recommending then we're supportive of that," she told Hack.

"We are just supportive of a new approach because we can't afford to lose any more children and the approach currently in place, we're still losing them so we need to try something different even if that is a bit unpalatable."

Sniffer dogs called to be scrapped

The draft recommendations also call for sweeping changes to police presence at music festivals including the removal of drug dogs.

It recommends that "Given the evidence of a link between the use of drug dogs and more harmful means of consumption (including double dosing, pre-loading, swallowing drugs and insertion in a vaginal or anal cavity) the model of policing at music festivals be changed to remove drug detection dogs."

It also calls for police strip searches to target only those suspected of drug supply, rather than those in possession of drugs for personal use.

"I think personally when we listened to the evidence at the inquest into how [drug dogs] work, I knew myself that probably would have been something that would have thrown Joshua personally," Julie said.

"As a result, more than likely it would have made it very difficult to say he was experiencing health issues.

Medical tent company at many of your favourite festivals criticised at drug death inquest Only one doctor was working at Lost Paradise last year, where 22-year-old Josh Tam died after taking MDMA.

"He then would have felt that he would've got in trouble and that's all that would've gone through his mind at that point, he wouldn't have known he was going to have a tragic outcome."

UNSW law academic Dr Vicki Sentas who has researched police drug operations welcomed the draft recommendations, noting that evidence demonstrated the use of police dogs was problematic.

"Our research shows that drug detection dogs aren't detecting drug supply but they're targeted to drug possession," she told Hack.

"Most states have drug dog operations of some sort, the problem is there needs to be greater transparency and accountability.

"The drug dog laws vary across the country, the problem with police strip search powers in NSW is it sounds good in practice and the law says they should only be used exceptionally but the data we got from the police shows in most circumstances... they're unlawful."

Ministers against pill testing

The recommendations are based on four weeks of evidence presented at a coronial inquest from more than 80 witnesses, including drug and policing researchers, family members, police, and medical personnel.

NSW cabinet minister Andrew Constance has said he has serious concerns about pill testing, but Julie Tam said it's important the Coroner's recommendations are implemented.

"There's been a lot of time and money put into new approaches so if we ...come out with lightweight suggestions we're only going to get lightweight results," she said.

"We need to look at it with fresh eyes, to take a new approach to ensure that we don't lose the Josh's of this world."

The Coroner's final recommendations are due to be handed down on 8 November.