THE SCENE

Sex, Drugs, and Rock-n-Roll: oOYes

Get to know the groovy, sex-positive woman behind this new line of “cannagasmic” products created by women—for anyone who enjoys a good f*cking.

TEXT STEPHANIE WILSON

Founded in 2018, oOYes isn’t just another lube company—it’s a whole sex-positive lifestyle. “The focus is on creating sex-forward experiences that open communication and remind people that sex is fun and good for you,” says Tanya Griffi n, whose love aff air with sex runs deep.

A badass businesswoman based in Denver, Griffi n spent the last 30 years opening retail stores, restaurants, and dispensaries, creating products focused on women’s and family health while she hopped continents and industries, working in everything from cannabis to fi nancial services to software development— all while raising four kids. With the launch of her latest venture, oOYes, she can add an “ecstatic sex, experience-driven lifestyle brand” to her list of entrepreneurial ventures.

“I like to say that I’ve gone from colostrum to cannabis to cum,” Griffi n says with an easy laugh.

Colostrum is a type of breastmilk, and Griffi n was a lactation specialist early in her career. She transitioned into cannabis in 2014, joining The Green Solution to help build the fi rst vertically integrated cultivation, manufacturing, and retail national franchise opportunity in the industry—a highly successful eff ort. The multistate dispensary chain was bought by Columbia Care in 2019 for $140 million.

Which brings us to the third C in that triple alliteration: cum.

The oOYes line of sex products is created to help you do just that; and they’re formulated with cannabis-derived terpenes and cannabinoids, so oOYes combines two of the Cs into a brand that exudes a 1960s mod-hippie sex-drugsand-rock-n-roll vibe. It’s a whole mood—and it’s a good one, if not a little bit forward. There’s a sex quiz featured frontand-center on the oOYes homepage that calculates your kink score by asking whether you’d be down to try sex acts that range from the basic (oral sex, sensual massage) to the extreme (foot jobs, swinging, anal fi sting, so much more). Have your partner take the quiz as well, and fi nd out where your kinks align, perhaps opening both your eyes (and other orifi ces) to experiences you hadn’t realized were on the proverbial table.

The whole thing is very sex positive, as are the products, all of which feature a rock-nroll theme and a groovy 1970s-inspired branding. Created and formulated by women, oOYes sex lubricants and wellness products have a subtle orange blossom fl avor and feature plant-based botanicals, active terpenes, and minor and major cannabinoids including cannabigerol (CBG), cannabidiol (CBD), as well as patented BeeFused Superhoney.

While cannabis sexual product lines grow in popularity, the brands behind them tend to play it safe, with vibes that are clinical, possibly sensual. But fun? Heavens, no!

That’s not how they roll baby roll at oOYes, as evidenced by the products themselves: Roll Baby Roll is a sex oil with BeeFused Honey and CBD. It’s oral friendly, vegan, gluten free, and safe to ingest. “The bottle has a roller ball that you roll right onto your clitoris—and it feels so good,” Griffi n says (she’s not lying).

Going Down is an oral sex elixer that combines sunfl ower oil, BeeFused honey, and orange blossom with CBD that tastes delightful. Love Me Too, a sensual moisturizer “for your other lips,” features CBG and cannabinoid-rich honey. Start Me Up is a lickable glide that, according to the product description, is “crafted to rock your world while your partner gets to taste a subtle yet sweet orange blossom fl avor. Made to encourage licking, sucking, and f*cking.”

Many of the products feature the brand’s Bee Wild tantric honey, which uses BeeFused patented technology where freerange bees organically feed on nectar made from hemp-derived cannabinoids, cannabis strains, and superfoods to create highly bioavailable, cannabinoid-rich raw honey. “Bees do all the work!” Griffi n says. “Nothing is added, nothing is made in a lab. This is nature doing what it does best.”

Griffi n says, “oOYes is sex forward and by no means shy.” And if it’s not clear yet, neither is she. The Denver-based entrepreneur loves sex, and she loves talking about sex—not in a sterile, clinical way, but not in an omg-TMI-please-stop way either. She just enjoys it, and she’s passionate about helping others enjoy it too. For her, it’s about creating experiences for people. “That’s why all the products are travel sized, that’s why everything is tied to rock-n-roll. It’s all designed around how you feel, it’s about getting your mind in the right place, and—yes—using drugs to do it. Having fun with it in a nice way.”

And it all comes down to basic biology: sex is fun, and having more of it is good for you. Science backs this up: There are a ton of emotional and psychological benefi ts of getting busy, and sex is strongly linked to a better quality of life, off ering both mental and physical benefi ts ranging from better self-image and higher rates of happiness to enhanced brain function.

“I freaking love sex,” Griffi n continues. “I think it’s like eating and sleeping and everything else. I think everybody should be having lots of it.”

oOYes founder Tanya Gri n is having fun in the sex space.

Most Wanted

Stone Slade, the host of the upcoming docuseries Hittin’ the High Road, highlights some of the uplifting items he’s currently coveting.

TEXT STEPHANIE WILSON

’Tis almost the season for cheer—and fi nding the perfect gifts to give and to get. So we asked TV personality Stone Slade—you may know him from the A&E series Modern Dads; you will know him from the upcoming Hittin’ the High Road series Sensi is producing (don’t mind our shameless self-promotion)—to help us set the tone for the upcoming holiday season. Here are his top choices for products that can transform your smoking ritual into a private retreat.

Hold Tight and Statement Piece

Never lose another lighter with Chen and Kai’s Serpent holder, designed to wrap snugly around a Mini Bic, keeping it tethered to your keychain. Serpent Lighter Keychain, $38, shop-tetra.com Designed in 1924 by the late Bauhaus design icon Marianne Brandt, the classic ashtray was recently reissued by Alessi to mark the famed design school’s 100th anniversary. It stands on small feet, has a removable lid for cleaning, and has a small stand on top to hold rolled smokes. Marianne Brandt Ashtray by Alessi, $215, shop-tetra.com

Box, Set

Strong, durable, odor resistant, and beautiful, this sophisticated stash box holds a full herb organizational system complete with glass jars and humidity-control lids for your ower, dab containers for your concentrates, a removable rolling tray, a topnotch grinder, a padded interior to keep your glassware safe, and other high-end accoutrements a modern smoker demands. Original Apothecarry Case, $275, theapothecarrycase.com

Flower Power

Leave it to Jonathan Adler to bring on a surge of color when we need it most. His new Sinsemilla line includes includes this stash box with real gold accents, a hand-beaded pillow (price: $248!), and a rolling tray— all perfect presents for any rich hippie host. Sinsemilla Stash Box, $68, jonathanadler.com

To Have and To Hold

Crafted in silvertone brass and covered in croc-embossed Delaunay Lapis leather, this luxe pocket ashtray doubles as an on-the-go stashtray. House of Pu Poche Pocket Ashtray, $79, houseofpu .com

Give It a Spin

With compartments for all smoking accessories, plus rolling areas and a silicone slap for concentrates, this highly functional centerpiece is something all smokers should give a spin. Blazy Susan Rolling Tray, from $90, blazysusan.com

Freakin’ Laser Bong

Part smoking device, part magic trick, and a total crowd pleaser, this rst-of-its-kind laser-powered luxe bong is sleek, opulent, and guaranteed to spark some conversations. The Trident by Hitoki, $500, hitoki.com

Lift O

A custom modular bong with out-of-this-world form and function? That’s a piece dreams are made of. And Stone’s dreams are built on a classic beaker base, a large honeycomb percolator for increased ltration and di usion, and a UFO mouthpiece—a distinguished percolator topped by an hourglass ice catcher for the coolest of hits. Vitae Glass Voyager Bong, $330, vitaeglass.com

The Life and Times of Shawn Carter

A new campaign for Jay-Z’s Monogram cannabis brand reimagines the iconic photos of mid-20th-century American photographer Slim Aarons through a contemporary lens.

This is a scene from the Life and Times of Shawn Carter, Volume Two. (Volume One, if you missed it, was that hard-knock life you heard Jay-Z —Carter’s public persona—rap about in a track that samples the famous line from the 1982 Annie movie.) It’s a good life, a high life, and the people depicted living it are good and high on cannabis.

The image is the fi rst installment of a threepart campaign for Jay Z’s (also known as HOV) new Monogram cannabis line, which launched this spring in California. The campaign is a modern take on the legendary work of Slim Aarons, a midcentury photographer who built his fame by photographing “attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places,” as he famously described it.

The photographs Aarons captured during the Rat Pack era have become synonymous with midcentury luxury, beauty, and leisure. Carter’s Monogram tapped legendary hip-hop photographer/ director Hype Williams to reimagine a series of Aarons’s most notable vignettes. Shot at the stunning Frank Sinatra House in Palm Springs, the series has been cast with a diverse group of creative talents like Grammy nominee Chika, Ghetto Gastro, Curren$y, designer Aleali May, and model Slick Woods—all styled by High Snobiety fashion director Corey T. Stokes. The creatives are seen lounging on fl oats with Monogram product in hand, basking in outdoor opulence.

The resulting imagery illustrates the dynamic, expanding landscape of modern luxury, and how it intersects with a new chapter in cannabis culture. “The perception around cannabis has shifted a lot since the 20th century. If you were to ask me and my peers how we’d defi ne the good life today, weed would defi nitely be a part of it. Whether we’re smoking to inspire creativity or to celebrate an achievement, cannabis has a rightful place in modern-day culture,” says Williams. “HOV has a vision for the industry that he’s bringing to life through Monogram. His focus for this campaign was to showcase how beautifully cannabis fi ts into the good life today, and I am honored to be a part of it.”

Sustainability: More Than a Word

Cannabis belongs in natural packaging.

MM

Green Packaging Solutions was formed in 2016 in response to the absurd amount of single-use plastic and mylar bags in the cannabis and hemp marketplace. Because MM Green is located on the beautiful Monterey Bay in Santa Cruz, California, this mission was underscored by observing the harm that single-use plastic was causing local marine life and popular beaches.

Now, MM Green is proud to be the fi rst-ever Emerald Cup winner for most eco-conscious package with the Certifi ed Child Resistant MM Green Cannaster, utilized mainly for fl ower and edibles. Made domestically from recyclable materials, the product naturally degrades without harming the environment.

MM Green is also excited to launch the domestically produced, Certifi ed child-resistant Backyard Compostable Pre-Roll Tube made from a starchbased proprietary material that will naturally degrade into usable compost, leaving no trace of packaging behind.

With the care, investment, and commitment required to produce high-quality cannabis and hemp, it can be disheartening to see products packaged in petroleum-based plastic manufactured overseas. Additionally, many packaging products are touted as compostable—but only if they fi nd their way to sparsely located industrial facilities under highly controlled conditions. Otherwise, they go into landfi lls and add to pollution.

MM Green also believes education is necessary when it comes to “green washing” and feel-good claims that ultimately fail the environment and the ethos of most cannabis consumers. For example, bioplastics are still plastics —even if they are plant-based rather than petroleum.

MM Green believes it is not necessarily how a package begins but how it ends. Will it degrade naturally without harming marine life? Or will it leave toxic microplastics behind? MM Green’s values drive the company to offer truly sustainable and earth-friendly packaging options, helping companies avoid contributing to the global, toxic single-use plastic problem.

MM GREEN

Sustainable Packaging Solutions mmgreenpackagingsolutions.com