>> The New York Times Published: 19 Dec 2020 01:45 PM BdST Updated: 19 Dec 2020 01:45 PM BdST A posed photo illustrating screen time, one of the things that came out on top in the tough, pandemic-plagued year of 2020, in New York, Oct 28, 2020. Before this year, screen time was a hotly contested parenting topic. Now, even the most organic Montessori toy mom relinquishes the iPad to her child for at least a little while each day to preserve her fraying sanity. Isak Tiner/The New York Times An illustrative photo of an American flag created with cannabis edibles, one of the things that came out on top in the tough, pandemic-plagued year of 2020, in San Francisco, Nov 10, 2020. A steady stream of anxiety-inducing events that could make anyone wish for an escape hatch called for one thing: Marijuana. By late spring of 2020, cannabis stores and medical marijuana dispensaries were deemed essential businesses in more than a dozen states. Kelsey McClellan/The New York Times