Height and long finish lead to other problems.

Long finish leads to major soil issues over time. This is PARTICULARLY problematic in a peat-based soil, such as ProMix and almost all commercial soil mixes.
While an indica, coming in under 9 weeks, will only inhabit its flower pot for that length of time, a sativa may inhabit the same pot of dirt for 3 full months- long enough to go through all the buffer in the soil and start seeing wild pH fluctuations caused by the peat, and for the peat itself to start breaking down into a moisture-retentive, sludgy mess with a nasty low pH. So with sativas more than any other plants, soil prep is VERY important. I'd avoid ANY soil components which don't have a pH that is already in range, or inert. Here again is a good instance where a nice composted humus with a little more perlite than you would think you need is useful. The extra perlite really prevents soil compaction and changes in how water percolates (or doesn't) through the medium, and if you need to flush during that extended flower time, your life will be a lot easier.

IMHO, it's not the characteristics of the plant itself that make it more prone to problems, it's having to live in the same dirt for much, much longer than an equivalent but faster-flowering plant.