A public hearing on regulating Vancouver's pot dispensaries continues tonight. The city of Vancouver is trying to establish a set of rules and guidelines to oversee the booming but illegal industry.

Vancouver city staff want to outlaw edible forms of marijuana because they are unregulated and they say some of them, like brownies or candies, can appeal to kids. The BC Civil Liberties Association disagrees.

"What we should do, in our view, is regulate this the way that we regulate all kinds of safety issues relative to children and medication," says Micheal Vonn, a lawyer and the group's policy director.

She says this includes packaging and labelling the product in a way that makes it both as unattractive and inaccessible to children as possible.

"The City of Vancouver has got their job cut out for them if they're going to be regulating this. Stepping up to this in terms of a regulatory regime means doing some works that other districts wouldn't have to do."

Feds to blame, according to BCCLA

A Supreme Court of Canada ruling delivered earlier this month legalized medical marijuana in all forms. The decision outraged federal Health Minister Rona Ambrose.

But Vonn said Ottawa should have regulated all forms of medical marijuana long before this month's ruling.

"We have absolutely no regulation relating to edibles. [Health Canada] has refused to even look at the issue of regulation edibles. The Supreme Court of Canada, unsurprising to any of us, gave the back of their hand and said Health Canada can't force you to smoke. The question now is who is going to regulate that."

"The city deserves huge kudos for stepping into what is a quagmire of absence of regulation at the federal level."

Vancouver yet to commit

The City of Vancouver has yet to say whether it will look at regulating marijuana edibles, in the wake of the high court decision.

Regulations proposed by city staff are intended to curb the number of pot dispensaries in the city, establish a licensing fee, and create a city review to ensure only those requiring medical marijuana are utilizing the services.

To hear more, click the audio labelled: BCCLA calls for regulation of edible pot.