The name "assassin" is commonly believed to be a mutation of the Arabic "haššāšīn" (حشّاشين). However, there are those who dispute this etymology, arguing that it originates from Marco Polo's account of his visit to Alamut in 1273, in which he describes a drug whose effects were used against enemies.
Middle Ages the word "Hashshashin" had become a common synonym for "outlaws". So the attribution of Hassan's Ismaili sect with this term is not necessarily a clue for drug usage. Some common accounts of their connection with hashish are that these "assassins" would take hashish before missions in order to calm themselves; others say that it helped to boost their strength, and turned them into madmen in battle. Yet other accounts state it was used in their initiation rites in order to show the neophyte the sensual pleasures awaiting him in the afterlife. The connection between their mysticism and that drug is not something subject to reliable or consistent historical accounts; this is not surprising given their secrecy and infamy. The word Hashish (of probable Arabic origin) refers to resin collected from cannabis flowers. This could be the true drug of the Assassins as described by Marco Polo. Important to remember, however, is that both alcohol and narcotics such as cannabis are "Haram," or strictly prohibited, by most schools of Islam. Therefore, it is possible that the label or attribution of Hashshashin to drug use was to portray them negatively. As they conceived of themselves as political and religious revolutionaries, and were considered a danger to the status quo of Crusader Age Persia and Arabia, it would make sense that many would attempt to discredit them.
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