Sydney: New research suggests ecstasy is making a comeback in Australia, with new calls to rethink pill-testing and quality control.

Following a disruption to the supply of ecstasy in 2008 and again in 2010-11, availability has returned, said Amanda Roxburgh from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at the University of NSW.

Of those who use ecstasy more are choosing to take the illicit drug in crystal form, which is higher in purity.

The Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System (EDRS), which surveys regular psychostimulant users every year to determine trends in the market, found that nearly 60 per cent of users took ecstasy in a high-purity crystal form.