GROVE CITY — A hearing will be held next week for a Mercer County man allegedly caught with thousands of dollars worth of “fake pot” at his borough business.

Ala Nassar, 27, of Sharpsville, who operates the Broad Street Market, faces felony and misdemeanor drug possession charges in the case.

Authorities arrested Nassar on Dec. 21 after a warrant search of his business on North Broad Street turned up more than four pounds of suspected synthetic marijuana with an estimated street value of $17,000, Grove City police said.

Officers joined with agents from the state Attorney General’s Drug Task Force in the 6 p.m. search. Officers, meanwhile, also seized more than $4,000 in currency.

Only last June, Gov. Tom Corbett signed a law that makes synthetic marijuana, also known as “Spice,” and synthetic cocaine and heroin, known as “bath salts,” illegal in Pennsylvania.

Previously, those substances were available at some tobacco stores and head shops in the state.

The substances, according to the state law, are subject to abuse, have no accepted medical use in the United States and lack medical safety.

Health experts told lawmakers debating legislation last year, that synthetic marijuana can cause hallucinations. But it also can lead to dizziness, nausea, agitation, and heart problems.

Bath salts, meanwhile, reportedly have similar effects of methamphetamine, including paranoia, delusion and other erratic behavior.

Nassar was arraigned on charges of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance.

Under the law, possession of the substances carries up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. Selling the synthetic drugs carries the maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $15,000 fine.

A preliminary hearing for Nassar, who is free on $50,000 bail, is set for Jan. 11 at the office of District Judge Neil McEwen.

His attorney, Gary Gerson of Pittsburgh, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.