Findings from the Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System show 71 per cent of the state’s MDMA users believe the drug is easy or very easy to find. Almost 90 per cent of ecstasy users said the same.

Most Tasmanians took ecstasy in pill or capsule form at an average price of $30 a tablet.

The average Tasmanian respondent was 25, male and straight. Almost half were university educated.

The national report, released Monday, revealed a significant return of the ecstasy market in Australia.

Seventeen per cent of Tasmanians use the drug weekly or more and 39 per cent admitted to bingeing on drugs for more than 48 hours in the past six months.

National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre senior researcher Amanda Roxburgh said the findings showed nearly 60 per cent of users took ecstasy in a high purity crystal form – a trend first noted in 2012.

“As the crystal form of ecstasy is relatively new we are still gaining information about how users respond to it,” said Ms Roxburgh.

“It is reasonable to assume that increased purity, coupled with uncertainty around the amount of the drug being taken, increases risks. 

“The majority of ecstasy users do not use frequently, however a significant minority are using weekly or more.

“In addition, 40 per cent of users say they have ‘binged’ on stimulants. We define bingeing as using it for more than two days without sleep. Bingeing coupled with higher purity increases the risk to users.”

The Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System survey questioned 786 people who had used stimulants regularly.