What makes cannabis strains different?

This is a really interesting question actually - and I don't think that simple differences in potency really explain it.

I have noticed as well that some weed seems to have a longer lasting effect and some a shorter lasting effect that doesn't seem to be relative to potency.

I can smoke a bowl of some weed and get ridiculously baked and then have the high pretty much dissipate in an hour. Then I've had different weed that I can get slightly buzzed off of a hit or two and notice that that buzz is still around a couple hours later - or get ridiculously baked and still be pretty high a couple hours later and still simi-high an hour after that.... There does seem to be a difference in the rate of effect decay. I have no idea whether this is a product of genes, cure, or what - but I do know that it can't simply be a higher initial THC load.

I think it has to do with what your body's used to. If you smoke primarily a indca or hybrid and you get your hands on a good sativa it can change how long you feel it. Tolerance to a certain strain or whatever chemicals in that strain can effect the length of the high. It always happens to me once i get a new bud...I get an oz of bud...,we'll say its indica for this example, smoke it for 2 weeks, and if i get a new oz of a different strain but its still indica...I feel like my tolerence is a lot higher then if i smoked sativa for two weeks and switched it to that indica. I don't know if you guys get it from smoking the same but I.E. smoke today be high for 1 hr smoke same bud tomorrow and be high for 8 but thats never happened to me before. Just a stoned though haha :rastasmoke:.

That could be part of it, of course. I do know, however, that there is something basically different between different weed that does change how long it takes for the effects to dissapate that still can't be explained that easily though.

I had one plant from my first grow that I miss quite a bit - I had only taken a couple clones and neither survived :-( This plant distinguished itself primarily on having the high that just wouldn't end. Since this was noticed and noted by myself and several others who I smoked with over the next month until the last of it was gone, it seems that there was something different about that particular plant.

Come to think of it, that plant does point to something genetic rather than environmental as it shared the same grow and cure conditions as the rest of the crop. Now, I did have noticeable differences between the plants in regard to the type of high - whether it was more of a Sativa High or an Indica Stone effect. The plant with the never-ending-high was more of an indica body stone effect than any of the others, but my heavily indica afghoo doesn't seem to have nearly as long lasting of a high as it did. Ah I miss that plant :-/