I want to share this story as it highlights the difficulties we face when we considering potency reports.

A friend of my wifes recently came by for a visit.
She's an occassional smoker on weekends and it had been a few weeks since she had smoked and she wanted to get a buzz. Something not too strong, she's used to bricked commercial.

I loaded them up with a strain that I didn't consider to be very potent and the only reason I still had some is that I hadn't had time to make hash out of it. A 6 on my scale.
Four tokes later, the girl was sweating and nauseated. She spent the next 3 hrs asleep in our bed with my wife glaring at me as though i purposely poisoned her friend.

Puzzled, I twisted up a big hog leg of the same smoke and sucked it down. Just as I thought, mediocre crap not really worth smoking. It might make a little hash.

Incidents such as this one emphasize the almost impossible scenario we face when viewing any potency report. One smokers 10 is another smoker 6. Tolerance, body chemistry and other factors play an equal role to the percentage of thc with regaurd to both potency and effect on any given smoker.

If that isn't enough variation to confuse any effort to understand potency, we can throw in the curing process.
Ive grown dozens, more than 100 strains maybe and Ive yet to discover a strain that's potency and effect isn't dramatically impacted by the curing process. For example, Sensi star, smoked 30 days after the chop is decent smoke. Sensi star with an 8- 12 month cure has a thc rating of 20 % and 5 tokes will panic the heaviest and most experienced smoker. This is one reason potency reports vary so widely on any given strain. It's just not possible to asses true potency or effect for any strain before 6 months of cure and really, 10 months would be even better, but when we read a potency report,we don't have a clue as to the curing time.

But of course, that's me, and since there is only 1 "me" and cannabis effects everyone differently, there must be other opinions. Whats yours?

[medicine farmer]

i swear the actually toke itself determines my level of intoxication....a big, thick, rich pull of smoke (like a thick milky bonghit) from .3 g gets me as way more blasted than gently puffing a 1 gram joint. I also find that changing varieties helps, its like i become used to a certain cannabinoid profile....i swear after 2 years of never smoking schwag and blunt of some mexi brick had me TRIPPIN!

[BACKCOUNTRY]

I have noticed this same thing, a jar of weed I quit smoking cuz it doesn't get me high, give a needy freind a baggy of it, next thing you know he thinks its the best shit in the world.

I've had the reverse happen as well, I'll have a jar that makes me so high I feel like someone slipped me some white powder, let a friend try it, and they say its "ok".

I've even noticed differences in how the same jar might affect me at different times, some days it might give me a nice stone, and other days I might as well just smoked some tobacco. I think mood, level of rest, and just changes in body chemistry can have big affect on the potential high for a individual.

This is partly why I didn't emphasize potency reports in the Outdoor strain guide, every persons stone can be so different off the same jar. Instead of filling things up with a huge smoke test, I just ask for short answers on potency and taste. Cuz the fact is, the only way to know if you will like it is to try it!

[hamstring]

I really echo BCs thoughts. I can smoke a strain and say man I have really developed a tolerance to this one but you know a week later and bang I am stoned.

I just helped a guy buy an OZ of Mexi brick and you know being neighborly I shared a J and thought well here goes a wasted smoke but I got good and high off of a small J and we shared it. I have smoked way more Mexi brick that anything in my life and I have found that it’s potency can compare with many strains I have grown.

Potency could be broken up into many different variables for me. Some weed gets me high, top notch high with a 1/2 J but I come down fast. Some weed may take more to get me high but stays with me a long time. I really enjoy a weed that has a physical component as well as being high.

When I read BCs Strain Guide Sticky I look at peoples ratings and thoughts about potency as a good guide because although I do find that potency is very subjective to a level I feel most people know the difference between a 4 and a 7-8 for the most part. A good give away to me is “A good day time smoke.” I stay away from those just not my cup of Tea.

PEACE

[BELOW FRIGID]

I agree as well about different strains effect people differently. I was talking to HS about my mixed bags I make for my bro's and how much they like it. I think being able to smoke 4 or five different strains durring your week will keep tolerance build up to a minimum if any. Then they also get to figure out which is their daytime and which is their night time smoke. Just have to make sure everything in the bags are top knotch.
This year they got SSH, Sensi Star, Sour Bubble bx3, Querkle and a few others in their mixed bags.

[FreezerBoy]

There's no doubt different people will have different reactions. Just as some can drink twice the alcohol for half the effect. I also believe one person can get two different highs off identical amounts of the same plant. I use it primarily for work. A joint while working will get me buzzed. Half a joint at a party (same weed) gets me bombed. My guess is it affects different parts of the brain differently. Bring a different part of your brain to the front and it changes the high.

[BACKCOUNTRY]

Yep, I have noticed Freezerboys observation as well, state of mind(mood) can vastly affect the high.

[medicine farmer]

for me how recently ive smoked makes a big diff too......i can puff an hour after previously puffing and i get more effect but not the rushing rapidly ascending high that i get after not using mj for 12 or so hours.....expectation may play a big role......

my buddy (19 year old young man) went to NYC and came home with some "NYCD" that he bought from a immigrant man in a park(i know, i know). It was basically bricked schwag lookin weed....def not NYCD...but he didnt know any better and REALLY thoght he was on that diesel, going on and on about how fire it was (he is a somewhat inexperienced toker)....he swore up and down that he had never been so blazed, stoned off his ass, etc....what i am saying is becuase he wanted that effect he got it, not that the weed was really that potent....

[Eli Bloom]

oh i thought this was interpreting impotency reports......wrong thread for me....

[Bababooey]

I agree that potency is very subjective, depends on many different factors (dosage, curing, implement used, etc) as well as the individual person. But silverback, I'm wondering if the reverse of your situation has ever been true: have you ever smoked some herb that was a 6 in the eyes of your friend but was a 9 to you? if not, if it's always been a case of weed that you think was mediocre was super potent to others, then it may be that your tolerance is much more than others... it makes sense that heavy tokers have much more tolerance than light tokers and especially occasional tokers.