triggers the mandatory life sentence is significantly lower than the quantity for powder cocaine, and because the majority of the individuals convicted of offenses involving crack cocaine are black. This court has previously considered and rejected this equal-protection argument. See United States v. Hill, 79 F.3d 1477, 1488 (6th Cir.1996) (“This circuit has repeatedly found that the challenged provision of section 841(b) does not violate equal protection guarantees under the Fifth Amendment.”) (collecting cases). Finally, Wimbley claims that his life sentence is cruel and unusual punishment, in violation of the Eighth Amendment. But a sentence is not cruel and unusual simply because it is mandatory. Harmelin v. Michigan, 501 U.S. 957, 994-95, 111 S.Ct. 2680, 115 L.Ed.2d 836 (1991) (<HOLDING>). In fact, this court specifically held in
holding life sentence mandatory under 21 usc  841b and district court could not depart from the mandatory life sentence unless government made a motion holding that an effective life sentence of fortyfive years for seconddegree forgery was excessive and that a life sentence was cruel and unusual in violation of the eighth amendment recognizing possession of cocaine as a lesserincluded offense of possession of cocaine with intent to sell holding that a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole for possession of 650 or more grams of cocaine is so grossly disproportionate that it violates the prohibition of cruel or unusual punishment in const 1963 art 1  16 holding that a mandatory life sentence for cocaine possession is not unusual in the constitutional sense