oOYes Brand Spotlight - Tanya Griffin
- 20 hours ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 3 hours ago
We should all take advantage of the stupidity of those in power; those narrow-minded humans who choose to judge and shame us.
Sex and drugs. A fun evening for some. A robust business for Tanya Griffin.
Tanya would say the full description should read, “Sex, Drugs, and Rock n’ Roll,” as the counterculture plays a large role in her brand’s aesthetic.
Unlike many in the cannabis industry, Tanya didn’t flirt with the illicit market before jumping to the other side. Rather, she started off as an ambitious entrepreneur. She had already founded several companies, including Kangaroo Kids—a high-end resale, coffee shop, and maternity support center—prior to her start in cannabis.
In late 2011, she was preparing to open a surgical center in Illinois when she realized the state was heading toward legalizing cannabis. She had already seen alcohol rip through her family “like wildfire” and saw cannabis as a safer alternative.
Her journey into cannabis included winning several cannabis licenses, overseeing the building of the first vertically integrated national cannabis franchise in the US, and founding several more companies, notably oOYes, her cannabis/sex product business, which offers “ecstatic sex products formulated to rock your world.”
An Interview with Tanya Griffen of oOYes
How did you go from Kangaroo Kids, where you consulted on breastfeeding and parenting needs, to sex-play products and cannabis?
As the oldest of 10 kids, I grew up poor and scrappy. My dad was always taking big swings that often missed. He taught me to roll the dice.
My entrepreneurial journey really began with my first SBA loan in 1995, when I founded Kangaroo Kids. This was my first pass at women’s health, as Kangaroo Kids was the “go-to” support center referred by all the maternity hospitals.
Not only did it fill a need but it also taught me how to navigate and scale in the medical cannabis market.
Building Kangaroo Kids taught me that by solving a need and consistently adding value to others, there was no need to chase money. It would come.
What has been your experience with cannabis as a somewhat taboo treatment for health issues specific to women?
Straddling sexual wellness and cannabis while pushing back on the shame and stigma that comes with sex and drugs (including classic psychedelics) fills my need to educate and offer harm reduction services where I am able. Selfishly, it lets me satiate my passion for sex and drugs while letting me lean into a groovy 1960s sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll vibe.
In my weekly newsletters, YestoSex, I often write and soapbox on pods that speak to women’s health, including how men and women are different when it comes to metabolizing cannabis and, by extension, psychedelics.
Cannabis, for example, dances with estrogen via the endocannabinoid and central nervous systems. Depending on hormone levels relative to a woman’s cycle or lack thereof, women metabolize cannabis up to three times faster than men.
For those of us who are regular users, it is about dialing in a predictably good experience. This is in conflict with simply going for the highest affordable levels of THC. Terpenes coupled with a full spectrum of major and minor cannabinoids play a key role in the cannabis experience, especially for women.
Side note, I have been active in getting cannabis approved as a qualifying condition for female orgasm disorder (FOD) with petitions pending in IL, NM, OR, CO, NJ, MD, PA, AR, and CT. This project has been meaningful both in the acknowledgement of cannabis as a use and treatment for FOD and, by extension, female orgasmic pleasure overall.
Can you speak a bit more about how shame has played a role in oOYes?
I write and speak relentlessly on this subject and will not hold back on the devastating effects caused by the War on Drugs and, by extension, the puritanical views legislated when religion steps in to regulate female sexuality and choice.
Both have failed miserably and result in censorship that allows pedophiles and misogynists to lean into hardcore porn that is easily accessible, while language associated with female pleasure is censored and shadowbanned across mainstream media. This results in an environment that drives pseudo-education and cultural norms relative to sex to porn platforms while mainstream social media bans content related to women’s sexual health.
Men get a pass on this one. The lines are blurred here. Viagra advertising gets a pass, while cannabis and sex are randomly banned with no clear guidelines.
On the topic of shame, you also frequently talk about the stigma surrounding masturbation and female pleasure. How do you typically broach these topics?
Always head-on! I believe that when it comes to sex and drugs, open communication is key.
The more openly we are able to discuss sex with our partner(s), children, and across mainstream media, the better chance we will have of normalizing the conversation. By pushing back and speaking out against puritanic and religious agendas, we enable marginalized women to get to know themselves as sexual beings.
Women are multi-orgasmic. We do not have the refractory period men suffer. While shame, stigma, and culture have worked relentlessly to define female sexuality and hold us back, perhaps with the assistance of cannabis and microdosed classic psychedelics in lieu of alcohol, we can lean into and learn from the “Refer Madness” fears shamelessly promoted during the War on Drugs.
There is power in knowing oneself as a sexual being. This comes with the ability to drop into sensuality and female sexuality. When society, the culture zeitgeist, denies us this access, we are left to indulge in other means to satiate our desires. This leads easily to compulsive, even addictive, behavior created to fill the void. This cannot be healthy.
You have written about figures like Shere Hite, who was a proud feminist and academic but was forced to flee the United States due to persecution over her work. How do you think America’s attitudes have shifted over the years toward women opening dialogues surrounding sexuality?
Speaking “truth to power” is never easy and always comes with repercussions. Shere Hite, Betty Davis, Jane Fonda–the list goes on of women and supportive men who fight against the powers-that-be, the status quo, and the religious right, who have had centuries to demonize and shame human sexuality.
Yes, Shere Hite was ostracized for attempting to shed light on female sexuality. While this shame continues, women have come a long way since our right to vote, “the pill,” choice, and our ability to have a credit card and mortgage on our own and to not be fired for being pregnant.
These are all “wins” that have emboldened women; stats support it.
Unfortunately, the conversation as it relates to female sexuality and the ability to drop in and articulate “flow states” (orgasmic pleasure) may need to be tabled as we now fight for basic human rights.
What has been your overall experience as a woman who has founded a sex-positive company?
At this point I have had three decades under my belt, funding and building start-ups I am passionate about. It is never easy. Each day comes with a new challenge, a new problem to solve. Thankfully my dad taught me to be fearless.
Being a woman comes with both challenges and advantages. The challenges, of course, come with not being on the “winners team” and included in the “boys club” when it comes to networking and ultimately fundraising. While I have never pushed against the glass ceiling in a corporate environment, I know it well when it comes to raising money and garnering trust from the boys’ club.
That being said, I have found the advantages of being a woman, being me, outweigh the disadvantages. Understanding that women remain the “Chief Medical Officer” in the home and control not only spending but also what products, illicit and otherwise, are purchased, comes with its own advantage and voice.
As our economy spins out of control and trust erodes between political factions, speaking directly and authentically to those drinking our Kool-Aid, to our niche, our silos, comes with its own advantage, as the noise to reach consumers gets so loud it is hard to break through!
These are advantages I would not trade for a penis!
You described how you were once known as the “weed lady,” and your kids were “not so happy” with this designation. What were people’s reactions when you announced you were going into the cannabis/sex play world?
That’s funny! My six kids are now between the ages of 23 and 31 years and no longer live with me. When they were young, I was known as the “weed lady,” and while their friends thought I was cool, my kids preferred to earmuff it! I have always been outspoken when it comes to sex and drugs and do not believe either should be legislated for me, provided I am doing no harm to others. My kids are well used to me by now.
While you do not choose your family, I think, given the chance, we would all choose each other again. I now have my kids’ mates and grandkids to add to the mix, so far, while they may choose not to engage, they are on board with my war on shaming sex and drugs.
I have always been outspoken, often to my own demise. It is a habit that will not be broken now. While I am not trying to shock for the sake of it, I do love to rattle some cages and cause others to think differently.
This is scary for many and liberating to some. In a world where the noise and clutter we face each day is mind-numbing, my hope is that by speaking my truth when it comes to sex and drugs it will help others explore new paths and indulge in flow states that make their lives better.
What do you feel are some of the unexplored, yet rich, avenues for the mingling of sex play products and cannabis? What do you feel is still lacking in the industry?
When it comes to sex and drugs, I see nothing but opportunity when it comes to exploring sex and drugs as they relate to science, shame, and culture.
While we had a taste during the 1960s counterculture and sexual revolution, this newfound opportunity to openly explore psychoactive substances and a path forward to dialing in orgasmic pleasure is one we must be mindful of and protect. While we thought we were on a clear path to freedom in the 1960s, history proves good things can come and go.
The real question is will the powers-that-be, those who wish to control and sedate horny humans with legislation and religion, be able, once again, to push back and control this taste of liberation we are currently enjoying, or will history repeat itself?
Interested in a deeper dive? Check out our long form Q&A:
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