How we got the story

Last year, an informant contacted The Atlanta Journal-Constitution alleging that Dr. Jan McBarron was prescribing and dispensing the appetite suppressant phentermine for people based solely on their answers to an online questionnaire.

The tip was intriguing. A prominent weight-loss physician, McBarron is also nationally recognized in holistic and alternative medicine circles for her advocacy of natural products as alternatives to prescription drugs.

The AJC decided that it would investigate by asking two people who had never been McBarron’s patients to see if they could obtain the drug in the manner described by the informant.

Each filled out a patient signup form that was on the website for the doctor’s practice, Georgia Bariatrics. The form required that they list their height and weight and note their understanding that they would be taking medication for the sole purpose of losing weight.

Both then received an email informing them that they had become patients and could obtain the drug online as well as at McBarron’s office. They were also asked to complete a one-page questionnaire seeking information about their medical histories. They provided the information accurately, although no one contacted them to verify it.

Within days of submitting the questionnaires and paying by credit card, they received vials of phentermine at their homes via Federal Express. The pills arrived in bottles with McBarron’s name and DEA number on the labels.