Cody Wilson is the former owner of George's Liquor and current co-owner of Modern Liquor, but for this episode, he's the guy who is the new brand ambassador for Prairie With Love, the line of Delta 9 beverages from Prairie Artisan Ales. We wrote about locals getting involved in the world of THC beverages recently, and Wilson was very helpful in putting that piece together, so we invited him on the show to talk about the two new Prairie THC seltzers, the concerns over age restrictions, and the potential of this sector to help bars and restaurants improve their margins at a time when alcohol sales on premise have returned to pre-COVID levels.

Wilson and his wife Savannah purchased George's in 2019, and worked hard to make it one of the destination bottle shops in the metro, especially for whiskey, beer, and quirky wines. They purchased Modern Liquor after the pandemic, and we talk a little about that spot's remarkable history in the episode. Wilson is an OKC native, who has been on the service side of hospitality (The Metro and Saints), and he sold beer for Prairie before buying George's, so his understanding of the industry is from three very different perspectives: FOH staff, distributor/sales, and ownership.

 The growth of Delta 9 as a segment in the adult beverage industry is projected to reach $60 billion annually in the next few years, assuming legislation doesn't impede that growth. We'll know more this year, as states and the federal government consider legislation to amend the 2018 farm bill that created this new niche, but for now, producers are jumping into the somewhat murky waters of THC beverages, with most, like Prairie, trying to be responsible and safe in what is for now at least a new Wild West of mostly unregulated products.