GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. - A Colorado company has been given federal approval to sell and promote hemp products.

“The addition of hemp to a U.S. approved government program is a historic achievement for bio-diverse agriculture, and is blazing the path to legalizing the growth of industrial hemp in the United States," EnviroTextiles president Barbara Filippone wrote in a statement. "Hemp has over 25,000 uses including variations of Food, Fuel, Feed, and Fiber.”

Filippone told the Glenwood Springs Post Independent the only thing standing in the way of the venture is a lack of cooperation from local bankers, who do not want to loan her money over concerns it could violate drug laws.

Filippone said hemp became entangled in federal anti-marijuana crusades, largely because federal agents were unable to easily tell the difference between the two plant types.

EnviroTextiles is based in Glenwood Springs, and is the largest importer of hemp textiles in the U.S., according to Filippone.